Reducing household outgoings

The final aim of the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme was to reduce household outgoings to aid children, particularly those living in poverty. The expected outcomes associated with this aim were as follows:

• Reduction in travel costs for young people and their families;
• Increased numbers of young people using the scheme for journeys otherwise paid for; and
• Reduction in poverty rates amongst young people over the long term.

Travel Costs and Affordability

Across all data collection strands, cost savings for young people and their families were identified as one of the main benefits of the scheme.

In terms of total household travel costs, comparison of the baseline and follow-up surveys suggested there had been little change. However, the proportion of parents/ carers spending less than 10% of their total spend on their child’s travel expenses had increased. There was also a large increase in the proportion of young people spending £0-£10 on travel after the scheme was introduced, up by 26 percentage points. This shows that more parents/carers were spending less on their child’s travel expenses, and more young people were spending less on their own travel since the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme was introduced.

Those who used the scheme also spent less than those who did not use it:

• 42% of parents/carers whose child used the scheme spent less than 10% of their total travel costs on their child, compared to 23% of those who did not use the scheme; and
• 51% of those aged 16+ who used the scheme spent £0-£10 a month on travel, compared to 24% of those who did not use the scheme.

Further, when asked to rate the affordability of travel and transport, aggregate results showed an increase in the proportions who said this was either very or fairly affordable, rising from 26% before the scheme’s introduction, to 38% after. Again, those who used the scheme were more likely to feel transport was affordable (39%) compared to those who did not (32%). The proportion of respondents who considered buses specifically to be affordable also increased by 25 percentage points between the baseline (29%) and follow-up surveys (54%), while those experiencing cost as a challenge or barrier associated with bus use dropped by 31 percentage points when comparing the baseline (51%) and follow-up surveys (20%).

Cost savings for young people and their families was also one of the main benefits of the scheme noted by both professional stakeholders and focus group respondents:

“I would say the main benefit of it is to save you a lot of money. Before I used to spend £35 a month and after the bus scheme, I don’t need to spend that money. And I have a brother as well, so… for my family, that’s £60-£70 a month they can spend it on something else.” (Scheme User)

These cost savings were noted to have wide reaching benefits. This included allowing young people or parents/carers to reallocate money to other things, such as other essential household costs or to spend on activities/in local shops, thereby boosting local economies. It was also said to reduce the anxiety and worry linked to travel. Even parents/carers of younger children who were not yet using the scheme commented that they could foresee longer term financial benefits.

Use for Trips Otherwise Paid For

Between 25% and 49% (depending on journey purpose) of scheme users in the follow-up survey indicated that they would have used the bus, regardless of the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme. Based on usage data provided by respondents in the follow-up survey, it was calculated that just over one million (n=1,023,802) journeys would have been taken regardless of whether the young person received free bus travel or not. Collectively, this represents a significant overall cost saving for young people and their families.

In addition to saving money on journeys that would have been made anyway, the evaluation also indicated that the scheme had generated a high volume of additional/new trips. Among follow-up survey respondents, the majority of scheme users indicated that they now used the bus across most journey purposes because it was free, ranging from 60% of those who used it for healthcare to 74% of those using the bus for social and leisure activities. Over one million (n=1,000,952) new bus journeys (i.e. those that would not have been made by any other means if they did not have access to free bus travel) were calculated to have been made by survey respondents since the scheme’s introduction.

Reduction in Poverty Rates

National datasets related to poverty levels in Scotland were not available during the evaluation to cover the scheme’s post-implementation period. As such, no comment can be made on the impact of the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme in reducing poverty rates among young people. However, qualitative feedback from the evaluation suggests that the scheme was largely considered to be beneficial in tackling poverty and in providing support to those experiencing poverty.

A few professional stakeholders noted that the scheme either integrated well with, or was supportive of other policy or priority areas, particularly in relation to tackling poverty, and the Cost of Living crisis, and providing greater equality/equity between young people from different backgrounds and economic means:

“It has given us a surplus of student support funds that we can now use on discretionary payments during the current cost of living crisis.” (Skills, Training and Education Organisation)

A few respondents across the focus groups and professional stakeholders were also highly supportive of the universal nature of the scheme and its capacity to support those experiencing poverty in a non-stigmatising manner. It was suggested this brought financial equality for young people in relation to travel:

“For parents whose children travel frequently on buses, there is a significant saving for the family, especially at a time where the cost of living crisis affects many. Money saved on bus travel can be used to pay for other family expenses.” (Representative Body)

Valuable Support for Particular Households

While the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme was appreciated by all respondents who used it, it appeared to be particularly beneficial for large families and single parent households, allowing them to access travel and opportunities that were previously too expensive. The scheme was also considered to be helpful for non-drivers and single car households, facilitating independent travel.

Some also indicated that the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme had enabled more intergenerational travel/outings, with grandparents travelling more with their grandchildren if/where they also benefitted from free bus travel (i.e. the over 60s free travel scheme).