The current position

Previous Concessionary Travel Schemes for Under 26s

This section provides an overview of existing initiatives before the introduction of U22 concessionary fares and considers what is working well, what is not working well, and how the current offerings benefits those travelling across the transport network.

National Schemes

The Scotland-wide concessionary travel scheme for young people was introduced on 8 January 2007 and provides travel concessions via the Young Scot card. In Scotland the transport element of the Young Scot Card was available to all 16-18 year olds (you became eligible on your 16th birthday and stopped being eligible on your 19th birthday), plus 19-25 year olds who volunteered full-time.

Applications must be made for a National Entitlement Card in order to access the scheme, and holders receive a third off the price of an adult single on most bus journeys and a similar discount on single and return rail tickets.

Operators are reimbursed by Transport Scotland as part of the Scottish Concessionary Fare scheme. For rail travel Young Scot offers a season ticket discount of 50%, but the season ticket discount is not available for bus fares. Those who live on a Scottish island are entitled to four free journeys by ferry to or from the Scottish mainland each year (redeemable via voucher).

Students living in Colonsay, Orkney, Shetland, the Western Isles, Islay, Jura, Caithness, or North West Sutherland may be entitled to reduced air fares on certain routes. The Scottish Government Air Discount Scheme gives a discount of 40% on the air fare on certain routes.

This has now been replaced by the U22 Scheme.

Operator schemes

Building on the national schemes, there are a number of concessionary fare and discount schemes available in Scotland.

Concessionary fare and discount schemes currently available across national and operator schemes

Bus

Under 5s

Bus fares are a matter for individual operators who use their own commercial judgement as to the fare structure applied, taking into account the level of patronage, in order to provide a viable service. Operators generally already provide free bus transport for under 5's and discounted fares for those under 16 as part of their commercial operations.

5-15 years old

Home to School Transport: Although the distance varies between local authority areas, typically this extends to primary school pupils travelling more than 1 or 2 mile or secondary pupils travelling more than 2 or 3 miles. In addition, exemptions exist for those unable to walk to school due to their Special Educational Needs, because of a lack of a suitable route or for medical reasons This is delivered by Local Authorities who provide free Transport to and from school.

Extended Rights to Free Home to School Transport: in extension to the Home to School Transport there is an additional element to free travel for children from low income families (that is those entitled to free school meals or whose parents receive the maximum working tax credit).

16-19 years old

Young Scot Card - 1/3 off adult single bus fare on local and long distance journeys – due to be replaced by the new under 22s free bus scheme from 31 January 2022

Free Bus Travel for Under 22s

Job seekers, full-time volunteers under the age of 26 or 19 and over in further education

Young Scot Card - 1/3 off adult single bus fare on local and long distance journeys for full time volunteers under the age of 26.

Learner Support: For those aged 19 or over, on a further education course and facing financial hardship. The specific amount is dependent on circumstances.

Job Seeker Support: For those with a Jobcentre Plus travel card, Stagecoach offer half price single and return tickets.

In Glasgow, First Bus offer savings of up to 55% on an equivalent single journey for Jobcentre Plus travel card holders.

Rail

Under 5s

All children under the age of 5 travel free on Scotland's Railways.

5-15 years old

Kids for a Quid: Travel at the weekend or any off-peak service. For every paying adult, up to 4 children can travel for just £1 return each. Available with most adult tickets and on season tickets and Flexipass.

Family and Friends Railcard: 1/3 off rail fares for up to 4 adults and 60% off for up to 4 kids between 5 and 15 for travel across Britain. Cost £30 per year.

HM Forces Railcard: provides up to 1/3 off adult rail fares and 60% off kid’s fares for members of the regular forces, their spouses and dependent children aged 16 or 17.

Veterans Railcard: Provides the Railcard holder and their companion 1/3 off most rail fares and 60% off for up to four children aged 5-15 years.

Home to School Transport: Although the distance varies between local authority areas, typically this extends to primary school pupils travelling more than 1 or 2 mile or secondary pupils travelling more than 2 or 3 miles. In addition, exemptions exist for those unable to walk to school due to their Special Educational Needs, because of a lack of a suitable route or for medical reasons. This is delivered by Local Authorities who provide free Transport to and from school.

16-19 years old

Young Scot Card: 1/3 off most adult single rail fares and most advance purchases. 50% off all weekly or monthly tickets.

16 - 25 Rail card: 16 - 25 years old or studying full time, 1/3 on train travel, discount applies to standard anytime, off-peak, standard advance and first class advance fares. Cost £30 a year.

Disabled Persons Railcard: For those with a disability that makes travelling by train difficult. 1/3 on rail travel for passenger and their companion. Cost £20 a year.

Two Together Railcard: For any 2 named people aged 16+ who travel together. 1/3 on journeys, cost £30 a year.

Highland Railcard: age 16+ and live in Scottish Highlands, save 50% on train travel on selected routes. When it is used, up to 2 kids can travel for a flat fare of only £2 return each. Costs £15 a year.

Under 25 Advance: Those under the age of 25 with a Smartcard can save 10% on advance fares across a range of longer distance routes.

Price Promise Scheme: information on best value fares is made available to customers and refunds are issued where a cheaper alternative can be found.

Job Seeker Allowance: support job seekers in Scotland in getting back to work by offering up to 2 free tickets a month for travel and interviews; and a free monthly season ticket when the jobseeker secures work.

HM Forces Railcard: provides up to 1/3 off adult rail fares and 60% off kid’s fares for members of the regular forces, their spouses and dependent children aged 16 or 17. Costs £21 a year.

Job seekers, full-time volunteers under the age of 26 or 19 and over in further education

Young Scot Card: 1/3 off most adult single rail fares and most advance purchases. 50% off all weekly or monthly tickets.

16 - 25 Rail card: 16 - 25 years old or studying full time, 1/3 on train travel, discount applies to standard anytime, off-peak, standard advance and first class advance fares. Cost £30 a year.

Disabled Persons Railcard: For those with a disability that makes travelling by train difficult. 1/3 on rail travel for passenger and their companion. Cost £20 a year.

Two Together Railcard: For any 2 named people aged 16+ who travel together. 1/3 on journeys, cost £30 a year.

Highland Railcard - age 16+ and live in Scottish Highlands, save 50% on train travel on selected routes. When it is used, up to 2 kids can travel for a flat fare of only £2 return each. Costs £15 a year.

Under 25 Advance: Those under the age of 25 with a Smartcard can save 10% on advance fares across a range of longer distance routes.

Learner Support: For those aged 19 or over, on a further education course and facing financial hardship. The specific amount is dependent on circumstances.

Price Promise Scheme: information on best value fares is made available to customers and refunds are issued where a cheaper alternative can be found.

Ferries

Under 5s

CalMac Ferries: under 5's travel free.

5-15 years old

CalMac Ferries: 5 - 15 year olds travel for 50% of the full fare.

NorthLink Ferries: sponsorship programme for the local community, including 30% off all school groups plus free breakfast on their away journey and free cinema tickets on outbound and return sailings. Currently not accepting applications due to COVID-19.

NorthLink Ferries - Kids Go Free: additional support to both Islanders and Non-Islanders and open for travel all year round on direct from Lerwick to Aberdeen routes.

16-19 years old

Young Scot card: For those aged 16-18 and live on a Scottish island they will receive 4 ferry vouchers which entitles them to 2 free return ferry journeys to mainland each year.

Job seekers, full-time volunteers under the age of 26 or 19 and over in further education

Learner Support: For those aged 19 or over, on a further education course and facing financial hardship. The specific amount is dependent on circumstances.

Active Travel

16-19 years old

E-bike grant scheme: makes funding available for discounted bikeshare projects and extended E-bike trials in communities across the country. These projects are open to all, including young people. In the first year of running, 19 public sector organisations and community groups across Scotland used the scheme. In 2020-21 £900,000 has been allocated to the E-bike Grant Fund

Cycling UK's Wheelness: gives free access to bikes for disadvantaged individuals in Inverness and works with participants and the local community to explore the barriers people face to cycling for everyday transport. Over 100 people, including young people, have received bikes so far under the programme.

Job seekers, full-time volunteers under the age of 26 or 19 and over in further education

Regional Schemes

Across Scotland’s regions there are a number of additional offerings:

Dundee City Council: has regularly offered a reduced fare of 20p to under 16s when they travel with an adult fare payer or concession ticket holder during school holidays. Launched with support from the Scottish Government’s Smarter Choices Smarter Places programme; the council; Xplore Dundee; Stagecoach; and Moffat and Williamson, it covers all journeys in the ABC Dundee ticket zone.

Annual bus season tickets for pupils that are entitled to free school transport are provided for 12 months and are valid on all (Xplore Dundee) bus services 24/7. Additionally, spare season tickets (leftover from the bulk purchase they procure annually) are distributed to low income families identified by Child & Family Services.

Renfrewshire Council: Smarter help for Renfrewshire's young job seekers (16-25): Renfrewshire Council, Transport Scotland, McGill’s, and Young Scot launched a smart ticketing pilot project to address transport issues faced by many young people in the area, particularly around travelling for work and study. This has been expanded to cover care leavers. Where a young person registered with the council's Invest in Renfrewshire programme is eligible for free travel, advisors can now load pre-paid tickets for McGill's local bus service onto their Young Scot National Entitlement Card.

Advisors at the council's Youth Employability Hub in Paisley will be able to load one, seven, or twenty-eight unlimited travel tickets, which eligible young people would redeem by simply tapping their Young Scot National Entitlement Card on board a McGill's bus.

Staff at Youth Employability Hub provide support to young people registered with Invest in Renfrewshire. Working with an adviser, tickets are provided based on an individual's need and can be used for a wide variety of reasons. For example, bus tickets can be provided to attend interviews and training opportunities or to support young people until their first pay packet arrives. The project is part of Renfrewshire Council's £6 million Tackling Poverty Action Plan to end child poverty in Renfrewshire. The smart card scheme is one of several ways in which Renfrewshire Council's Youth Services Team are using the Young Scot's services to tackle inequality and improve services. This is the first in a series of smart travel initiatives happening in Renfrewshire in collaboration between Renfrewshire Council and Transport Scotland.

Inverclyde Council: Enhanced free pupil transport for all schools by 1 mile less than statutory provision (this means 1 mile for primary and 2 miles for secondary). The council also recently introduced a free school meal waiver/grant for secondary school pupils in receipt of free school meals who live between one and two miles from school.

East Ayrshire Council: Rather than simply applying the statutory minimum provision for school transport, an approach has been adopted with a minimum distance provision of 1½ miles for primary pupils, and 3 miles for secondary pupils, coupled with a subsidised transport service for secondary pupils travelling between 1½ and 3 miles. This allows parents the option to pay a fixed fee for travel, and depending on individual circumstances, a discount/exemption scheme is in place. This provides discounted travel for those in receipt of free school meals, and to families with more than one child requiring transport.

What is Working Well and What is Not Working Well

Transport policy has long recognised that the market cannot make transport affordable for everyone and this has resulted in the current arrangements on concessionary travel initiatives that are available. In 2019, the Poverty Alliance and Oxfam found that concessionary travel is one of the most positive aspects of the transport system.

Concessionary fare schemes in Scotland are also shown to provide benefits to other groups in society, as evidenced by the 2017 Consultation regarding free bus travel for older and disabled people and Modern Apprentices. The consultation was carried out by Scottish Government, with a report published in 2018. In total, 2,947 responses were submitted. A substantial majority of responses came from individual members of the public. Respondents commented on the importance of the bus pass in counteracting isolation and loneliness, encouraging older people to get “out and about”, and promoting mobility and independence. They referred to associated benefits including sustaining both physical and mental health and allowing older people to act as carers or to give their time as volunteers. Other points raised include the value people place on their bus pass, the degree to which they depend upon it, or the extent to which they have looked forward to receiving it.

The value of concessionary fares has continued to be recognised with the announcement of plans to extend free bus travel to all young people under the age of 19 (which has since been increased to those under 22) being well received. As part of this initiative Transport Scotland consulted on the plans with a total of 3075 responses received (97% of which were from individuals and 3% from organisations). The proposals received a positive response with 91% of respondents agreeing they would contribute towards objectives to increase opportunities and reduce inequalities for children and young people.

Key Finding 1

Concessionary fares schemes only provide value where they are matched with available services.

A report in Transport and Poverty in Scotland (Poverty and Inequality Commission, 2019) recognised that while concessionary fares schemes can make a real difference to those on low incomes, their value depends on whether the services are available.

Inadequate and unreliable transport provision is understood to give rise to unexpected household outgoings for families and young people living in poverty, and can exacerbate already precarious circumstances (e.g. by incurring late pick-up fees for childcare, losing shifts at work, or being viewed as unreliable by an employer). Many participants involved with the Commission’s work spoke of the absence, or lack, of public transport in their community, leading to the inability to make use of concessionary fare offers.

People on low incomes can face a ‘poverty premium’ where they have to pay more for food and other goods and services. Lack of available transport options can exacerbate this poverty premium where people cannot travel to cheaper shops or services. In 2019, the Poverty Alliance and Oxfam found that in some areas with high levels of poverty, there are no buses to major supermarkets. As a result people are often forced into shopping at more expensive shops that are easier to access by foot, something that represents the ‘poverty premium’ in action.

The Poverty and Inequality Commission concluded that through good and affordable public transport, people can gain access to jobs, education and training, contributing to raising household income and preventing people from experiencing poverty. However, they also concluded that poor access to transport can lock people into poverty by limiting access to these opportunities to increase income.

In addition, research carried out by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in Glasgow found that existing bus services may be limiting rather than enabling a return to work for unemployed adults in some low-income areas where they don’t connect to employment opportunities that match the skills, aspirations, or experience of individuals.

Key Finding 2

Concessionary fares schemes are not necessarily available to everyone who experiences cost as a barrier to transport.

NTS2 and the Scottish Government’s Every child, every chance: tackling child poverty delivery plan 2018-2022 recognise the joint challenges of the affordability and availability of transport and the impact these can have for families on low incomes. Both the transport strategy and the child poverty delivery plan also note that transport is an enabler of poverty through the impacts it can have on income and household expenditure.

The research commissioned by Transport Scotland on child poverty and transport showed for many participants transport costs are prohibitive. Transport costs influence how household budgets are allocated in families and in some cases increased the hardship and stress they face. Many parents and caregivers, especially those of larger families, described how not being able to afford transport led to children not being able to access essential services leading to increasing isolation and causing stress and other mental health impacts.

This research also found that families and young people on low incomes have difficulty in accessing discounts for bulk purchasing tickets (e.g. monthly passes) due to the high initial costs and as a result purchase a daily ticket at a higher premium despite being frequent users of services. Young people also described not being able to attend job interviews due to not having enough money to cover transport to the interview location.

The Poverty and Inequality Commission report highlighted that there are loopholes in the current concessionary travel schemes. Those on low incomes and those with regular working patterns may be unable to benefit from existing discounted travel, such as discounted fares for young people only being available during off-peak times and therefore of no use for young people travelling to work or college. This can result in young people facing particularly high costs if they need to change between transport operators during their journeys.

Additionally, the findings show that while extending entitlement to free travel would remove the barrier of cost to low income families and young people, the findings showed that barrier of availability of transport services would still limit access and use for low income families and young people.

However, it should be noted that the current concessionary travel schemes have been shown to reduce some of the inequality challenges faced by certain groups of our society, and that by widening access to this support these schemes could play a key role in delivery the fully inclusive society we want. In a study commissioned by Transport Scotland looking at child poverty and transport, low income participants with travel card entitlements due to caring needs, disabilities, or health conditions highlighted the importance of these in reducing costs and enabling their basic participation in daily life. As many low income families and young people are entirely reliant on public transport, travel card entitlements enable them to access essential services that they would otherwise have to forego. Participants also emphasised that without these concessionary travel entitlements, they would face additional pressures in managing household budgets.

While extending entitlement to free travel would remove the barrier of cost to low income families and young people, the findings showed that barrier of availability of transport services would still limit access and use for low income families and young people.

Key Finding 3

Lack of, and limited, transport services can result in increasing journey costs.

NTS2 recognises that a greater share of people in remote and rural, and accessible rural areas, can find accessing transport services less convenient. There are a number of urban and rural locations within Scotland where the current levels of public transport provision, including accessible transport, as well as connectivity issues, act as barriers to accessing healthcare, employment, education, or training opportunities.

A large number of people across Scotland need to take multiple buses (operated by multiple operators) to make one journey. This means purchasing multiple tickets, and therefore substantially increasing the cost of the journey. A particular issue for rural areas is the lack of public transport acting as a barrier for young people accessing education, training, and employment. Longer commutes combined with more expensive fuel typically add £30 to £40 per week to costs when compared to rural England. Transport can therefore be a real challenge for those on low incomes in rural areas, particularly when needing to access employment and essential services.

The joint challenges of high costs a lack of, or limited, public transport services, can have a disproportionate impact on young people where it can lead to inferior employment and education opportunities.

The Poverty Alliance and Oxfam (2019) found that poor connections and the expense of multiple tickets were common themes. Some participants in their research spoke of having to take multiple buses (operated by multiple companies) to make one journey. This means purchasing multiple tickets and therefore substantially increasing the cost of the journey.

Key Finding 4

Current understanding on the impacts of COVID-19 show that the challenges on the affordability, availability of public transport are being exacerbated for our young people, and the long term implications of the pandemic for the sector and our young people is still unknown.

COVID-19 has led to unprecedented falls in demand for public transport. 50% of respondents to the COVID-19 public attitudes survey indicated they will avoid public transport and use their car or other vehicle more than before; the future demand for public transport remains uncertain.

Given the fall in demand, coupled with capacity restrictions due to physical distancing requirements, very significant additional Government funding has been required to keep the existing public transport network running for those who need it, as costs outstrip revenue. It is envisaged that additional financial support will be required even once physical distancing requirements are relaxed in order to maintain anything comparable to the pre-COVID-19 network, as those who can do so continue to avoid public transport due to ongoing public health concerns or changed habits. The cost of any additional free public transport concessions has to be weighed against the costs of keeping a viable network operating.

We also know that a particular issue for young people is the lack of public transport, which in turn can act as barrier when accessing education, training and employment. This is an issue which is being exacerbated by COVID-19 as the increased fall in demand for public transport has made, and will continue to make, it more challenging for public transport operators to deliver viable services on a commercial basis. Evidence form stakeholder events and research publications has highlighted increasing support for consistency for service users and easy to understand pricing structures that do not disadvantage individuals.

Affordability, availability and connectivity challenges in a post COVID-19 should not be downplayed, given the impact on the job market is likely to require jobs seekers to travel considerable distances for new opportunities. Once more is understood about the impacts of the pandemic, future interventions considering concessionary fares need to ensure they do not deepen existing inequalities or negatively affect the economy as it recovers.

The Fair Fares Review will examine these issues in detail.

National and International Examples

There have been a considerable number of fare-free or part fare-free public transport implementations, primarily across Europe and North America. Most of the implemented schemes were limited period campaigns, limited to specific services or certain user groups (elderly demographics, students, tourists, etc.) There are only a few cases where a full-fledged scheme for fare-free transport covering all service users has been introduced and sustained for a long period. Unfortunately, thorough evaluation has been historically difficult owing to insufficient data or analysis from concessionary schemes. As a result, detailed evidence on fare-free schemes and their impacts is limited. A brief, high-level summary of some interventions – local and national – is detailed below.

Wales

In Wales the My TravelPass card gives holders around a third off bus travel. This is offered by all Welsh bus operators to 16-18 year olds, whilst 29 operators extend the discount until the holder’s 22nd birthday. My TravelPass is reimbursed by the Welsh Government, with a generation factor applied. This is not a fully fare-free system, but is a useful comparator.

Manchester

Building on top of their existing system which offers a ‘One Student’ scheme for 16-26 with 25% off offered on buses, Manchester is currently operating a two-year pilot of ‘Our Pass’ for 16 to 18 year olds, offering free bus travel across all of Greater Manchester for a one off £10 administration fee. The pass provides free bus travel as well as discounts and free deals at certain retailers and sponsors.

Estonia

As of 2019, buses are free of charge in 11 of Estonia’s 15 counties. Following the 2008 financial crisis, ticket prices were too high for many local residents and Tallinn’s city government began considering the idea of free transport. Congestion was also a serious issue. Registered residents are able to travel on Tallinn’s buses, trams, trolley buses and trains for free. Residents simply pay two euros for a ‘green card’ which provides evidence of their tax paying status (the municipality gets a 1000 euros share of their income tax each year). Local residents have been enthusiastic about the scheme, with early polls delivering a 90% approval rating. Non-residents and tourists pay to use transport. Almost a year after the introduction of FFPT, public transport usage increased by 14%.

Luxembourg

Luxembourg became the first country in the world to abolish fares nationwide – starting in late February 2020. There is no charge for using trains, trams and buses within Luxembourg (except first-class train carriages or cross-border travel). The move is expected to benefit the 602,000 residents and 175,000 cross-border workers alike, as well as around 1.2 million annual tourists. The introduction of fare removal, shortly before COVID-19 took hold in Europe, has resulted in limited impact analysis of the scheme.

Prior to 2020, the country had the highest number of passenger cars per inhabitant in the EU (including company cars registered there by non-resident cross-border workers). More than 60% of commuters used their cars to get to work, compared to just 19% who used public transport. However, cutting congestion and climate change were not the key drivers of the fare-free public transport initiative. The Minister for Mobility and Public Works stated it is primarily a social measure, with the objective being to stop the deepening gap between rich and poor. Interestingly, public transport was already heavily subsidised – a two-hour ticket costing 2 euros and an all-day second class ticket 4 euros – with many people previously receiving free transport: under 20s, students under 30, people with a minimum guaranteed income.

Dunkirk, France

The French city of Dunkirk introduced fare-free buses in September 2018 for its 200,000 residents. Following the introduction, ridership increased, more than doubling on weekends and increasing by around 60 percent during the week. In a town where a large majority of residents (about two-thirds) typically depended on their cars to get around, half of the 2,000 passengers surveyed by researchers said they take the bus more or much more than before. Of those new users, 48 percent say they regularly use it instead of their cars. Some (approximately 5 percent of the total respondents) noted that they sold their car or decided against buying a second one because of the free buses.

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