Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Record
Daily Record
Lifestyle
Katrine Bussey & Lucy Farrell

Scotland free bus pass scheme 'botched' with only three in 10 young people claiming

New figures show that the number of young Scots who have signed up for a free bus pass is low.

According to numbers obtained by Scottish Labour, only three out of 10 under 21s have taken advantage of the Scottish Government's flagship scheme.

Out of the 949,000 of those in Scotland who are entitled, only 284,328 children and young people aged between five and 21 have been issued with a pass.

Meaning the scheme, which launched in January 2022, has an uptake of only 30%.

Findings also showed that in 11 of Scotland's 32 local authority areas fewer than a fifth of under-22s had a pass - with just 13.3% of those eligible in South Lanarkshire having one.

Scottish Labour transport spokesman Neil Bibby insisted the "dire" figures were a "humiliation" for the SNP and Greens - who had both committed to bringing in the scheme as part of a Budget deal.

(Getty Images)

Mr Bibby said: "Free bus passes for young people should have been a good news story but these dire figures are a humiliation for the SNP and the Greens, who have spent years talking about this card but still failed miserably to deliver it.

"The botched scheme is a huge missed opportunity, which could have unlocked opportunities for children and young people, eased the cost-of-living crisis for families, and helped us tackle the climate emergency.

"Instead, the SNP's rampant incompetence has let a rare good news story descend into chaos - and it is young people who are paying the price."

He called on the Scottish Government to "streamline" the application process in order to "finally deliver on this years-old promise so that no more children and young people miss out".

However, a spokesperson for transport minister Jenny Gilruth said that Scotland was "in the grip" of the Omicron variant of covid when the scheme had launched and this had affected it.

The spokesperson said: "The Labour Party and Mr Bibby appear to have forgotten that in January of this year Scotland, like many other nations, was in the grip of the Omicron variant. Of course this impacted on the rollout of the under-22s scheme initially.

"Nevertheless, since the end of January, over six million journeys have been made and over 300,000 cards issued under the new scheme."

Ms Gilruth's spokesperson added that a "number of changes" had been made to the online application process, adding: "The transport minister has said that she will continue to monitor the situation and is not ruling out making further changes to the scheme if that is what is needed."

They continued: "Extending free bus travel to all of Scotland's children and young people under 22 is ultimately about making public transport more affordable, helping to improve access to education, leisure, and work, while supporting them to travel sustainably.

"While Labour carp from the sidelines, the Scottish Government is supporting people through the cost-of-living crisis. We are determined to ensure all children and young people who benefit most from free bus travel don't miss out."

Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.