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

Number of smart journeys made by bus through the different NCTS and the totals

Month Young Persons' Free Bus Travel Scheme Older & Disabled Persons' Free Bus Travel Scheme
April 2025 6,692,810 9,496,235
May 2025 7,160,689 10,002,989
June 2025 6,310,360 9,261,178
July 2025 5,551,291 9,906,170
August 2025 6,566,608 10,105,482
September 2025 8,109,023 9,708,200
October 2025 7,957,118 9,846,260
November 2025 7,740,377 9,234,524
December 2025 6,373,376 9,086,148
January 2026 6,813,066 8,217,743
Total to date 69,274,718 94,864,929

The total number of journeys taken through the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme since its commencement in January 2022 is 281,209,721 as at 31 January 2026.

Cardholders

Number of valid National Entitlement Cardholders who can access the different NCTS and the total

Local Authority Young Persons' Free Bus Travel Scheme Older & Disabled Persons' Free Bus Travel Scheme
Aberdeen City 33,925 57,870
Aberdeenshire 40,139 77,035
Angus Council 15,636 38,468
Argyll & Bute 10,559 33,099
City of Edinburgh 94,829 147,819
Clackmannanshire 5,973 14,131
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar 3,228 9,193
Dumfries and Galloway 16,894 58,719
Dundee City 24,967 42,585
East Ayrshire 18,521 36,846
East Dunbartonshire 15,597 36,093
East Lothian 17,711 35,302
East Renfrewshire 16,805 27,474
Falkirk 22,396 43,065
Fife 63,690 119,231
Glasgow City 101,855 156,874
Highland 28,360 74,373
Inverclyde 11,648 26,081
Midlothian 16,038 28,111
Moray 12,430 28,284
North Ayrshire 20,942 44,903
North Lanarkshire 53,313 87,090
Orkney Islands 2,727 7,758
Perth & Kinross 21,065 50,755
Renfrewshire 28,039 53,493
Scottish Borders 14,989 37,679
Shetland Islands 3,621 7,534
South Ayrshire 13,899 39,590
South Lanarkshire 53,391 94,590
Stirling 12,851 25,181
West Dunbartonshire 14,730 27,773
West Lothian 26,466 47,376
Total as at 1 February 2026 837,234 1,614,375