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 | 6,692,764 | 9,496,102 |
| May 2025 | 7,160,689 | 10,002,989 |
| June 2025 | 6,310,229 | 9,260,999 |
| July 2025 | 5,551,290 | 9,906,170 |
| August 2025 | 6,566,022 | 10,104,947 |
| September 2025 | 8,104,183 | 9,697,858 |
| October 2025 | 7,937,257 | 9,826,729 |
| Total to date | 48,322,434 | 68,295,794 |
The total number of journeys taken through the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme since its commencement in January 2022 is 261,166,461 as at 31 October 2025.
Cardholders
|
Local Authority |
Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme |
Older & Disabled Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme |
|
Aberdeen City |
33,783 |
57,546 |
|
Aberdeenshire |
40,065 |
76,546 |
|
Angus Council |
15,658 |
38,177 |
|
Argyll & Bute |
10,560 |
32,869 |
|
City of Edinburgh |
94,156 |
146,389 |
|
Clackmannanshire |
5,973 |
14,019 |
|
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar |
3,244 |
9,142 |
|
Dumfries and Galloway |
17,000 |
58,181 |
|
Dundee City |
24,996 |
42,417 |
|
East Ayrshire |
18,606 |
36,533 |
|
East Dunbartonshire |
15,561 |
35,654 |
|
East Lothian |
17,799 |
35,020 |
|
East Renfrewshire |
16,760 |
27,209 |
|
Falkirk |
22,220 |
42,584 |
|
Fife |
63,077 |
118,441 |
|
Glasgow City |
99,970 |
154,238 |
|
Highland |
28,364 |
73,690 |
|
Inverclyde |
11,813 |
25,694 |
|
Midlothian |
15,793 |
27,808 |
|
Moray |
12,431 |
28,050 |
|
North Ayrshire |
20,625 |
44,469 |
|
North Lanarkshire |
53,431 |
86,251 |
|
Orkney Islands |
2,728 |
7,726 |
|
Perth & Kinross |
20,721 |
50,293 |
|
Renfrewshire |
28,017 |
52,789 |
|
Scottish Borders |
15,008 |
37,480 |
|
Shetland Islands |
3,647 |
7,493 |
|
South Ayrshire |
13,916 |
39,272 |
|
South Lanarkshire |
53,168 |
93,356 |
|
Stirling |
12,688 |
24,874 |
|
West Dunbartonshire |
14,746 |
27,367 |
|
West Lothian |
26,400 |
46,810 |
|
Total as at 01 November 2025 |
832,924 |
1,598,387 |