Concessionary travel data
We monitor data relating to our National Concessionary Travel Schemes (NCTS), which provide free bus travel for those aged under 22, 60+ and eligible disabled people, on a regular basis. You can find the latest data on concessionary bus journeys and cardholders below.
Important information about this data
- All information is correct, based on available data, at the time of publication.
- Transport Scotland does not own the National Entitlement Card. Cardholder data is supplied by the National Entitlement Card Programme Office (NECPO).
- Cardholder data refers to the number of people with a valid NEC but does not include products which either start in the future or have expired.
- NECPO work with stakeholders and partners to carry out regular data cleansing of the customer database which may impact cardholder numbers when records are updated.
- ‘Journeys’ refers to a smart journey recorded against a valid product that has been received and processed for payment by Transport Scotland.
All data is subject to change due to late data being received.
Journeys
|
Month |
Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme |
Older & Disabled Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme |
|
April 2025 |
6,692,775 |
9,496,127 |
|
May 2025 |
7,160,689 |
10,002,989 |
|
June 2025 |
6,310,251 |
9,261,050 |
|
July 2025 |
5,551,291 |
9,906,170 |
|
August 2025 |
6,566,537 |
10,105,381 |
|
September 2025 |
8,108,801 |
9,702,031 |
|
October 2025 |
7,956,507 |
9,845,462 |
|
November 2025 |
7,703,369 |
9,193,519 |
|
December 2025 |
n/a | n/a |
|
January 2026 |
n/a | n/a |
|
February 2026 |
n/a | n/a |
|
March 2026 |
n/a | n/a |
|
Total to date |
56,050,220 |
77,512,729
|
The total number of journeys taken through the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme since its commencement in January 2022 is 267,985,242 as at 30 November 2025.
Cardholders
|
Local Authority |
Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme |
Older & Disabled Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme |
|
Aberdeen City |
33,962 |
57,747 |
|
Aberdeenshire |
40,069 |
76,807 |
|
Angus Council |
15,738 |
38,284 |
|
Argyll & Bute |
10,590 |
32,993 |
|
City of Edinburgh |
94,705 |
147,050 |
|
Clackmannanshire |
5,984 |
14,068 |
|
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar |
3,252 |
9,172 |
|
Dumfries and Galloway |
16,994 |
58,370 |
|
Dundee City |
25,097 |
42,532 |
|
East Ayrshire |
18,582 |
36,691 |
|
East Dunbartonshire |
15,592 |
35,848 |
|
East Lothian |
17,810 |
35,114 |
|
East Renfrewshire |
16,785 |
27,298 |
|
Falkirk |
22,375 |
42,774 |
|
Fife |
63,297 |
118,815 |
|
Glasgow City |
101,671 |
155,271 |
|
Highland |
28,430 |
74,008 |
|
Inverclyde |
11,773 |
25,856 |
|
Midlothian |
15,935 |
27,952 |
|
Moray |
12,443 |
28,184 |
|
North Ayrshire |
20,579 |
44,721 |
|
North Lanarkshire |
53,518 |
86,644 |
|
Orkney Islands |
2,734 |
7,741 |
|
Perth & Kinross |
20,853 |
50,488 |
|
Renfrewshire |
28,100 |
53,090 |
|
Scottish Borders |
15,028 |
37,571 |
|
Shetland Islands |
3,637 |
7,514 |
|
South Ayrshire |
13,936 |
39,461 |
|
South Lanarkshire |
53,425 |
93,846 |
|
Stirling |
12,820 |
24,987 |
|
West Dunbartonshire |
14,764 |
27,529 |
|
West Lothian |
26,461 |
47,054 |
|
Total as at 01 December 2025 |
836,939 |
1,605,480 |