Children and young people have now made more than 250 million free bus journeys using the Scottish Government’s under-22s travel scheme.
The initiative was launched in January 2022 with smart ticketing infrastructure delivered by Unicard. By encouraging the early adoption of public transport, it has cut travel costs for families and expanded opportunities for younger people.
More than 80% of eligible young people now have access to the scheme via a National Entitlement Card or Young Scot National Entitlement Card.
By encouraging early adoption of public transport, the initiative has made a lasting impact – reducing travel costs for families, expanding opportunities, and reconnecting younger generations with bus travel.
The Scottish Government’s under-22s free travel scheme has been running since January 2022
Transport Scotland procured Unicard to replace their previous AMS-HOPS system with a more advanced one that could handle the expected major increase in the number of concessionary smartcards after the introduction of the free travel scheme. The new system also had to deal with commercial bus journeys and concessionary travel for 1.4 million older and disabled people.
Unicard also introduced a Part 11 / mobile app solution for Transport Scotland that enables customers to download smart products from their mobile devices, making it simple for passengers to load new entitlements onto their existing National Entitlement Card. This also opened up the potential for other retail channels and collection points, providing customers with a comprehensive network of retail sales and fulfilment.
Jim Fairlie, the Scottish Government’s Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity, said: “Eradicating child poverty is one of our government’s top priorities. That’s why I’m proud – particularly during Challenge Poverty Week organised by the Poverty Alliance – to see under-22s across Scotland embracing this transformative benefit, with over 250 million journeys now made.
“This isn’t just about saving young people and their families money – it’s about unlocking potential. Free bus travel is helping young people access education and employment, and to connect with friends and family.
“These journeys are changing lives. They’re keeping communities connected, supporting our climate goals, and strengthening our public transport network. I want to thank every young person who’s chosen the bus. In doing so, you are supporting our towns and cities, our climate, and our bus services.”
- To find out more about how Unicard helped Transport Scotland deliver the under-22s scheme, read our case study: Transport Scotland HOPS