Current status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 March 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve public information regarding how asylum seekers who are eligible for a National Entitlement Card, under the Older and Disabled Persons or Young Persons concessionary travel schemes, can obtain a free bus pass.
The Scottish Government is keen to ensure that asylum seekers in Scotland are able to access free bus travel under the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme and the Older and Disabled Persons Scheme.
I am alive to challenges being faced by different groups, including asylum seekers, in accessing the free bus schemes. I met officials from the Improvement Service, which is the accountable body for the National Entitlement Card (NEC) Scheme, on 7 February to discuss what more can be done to make the application process easier for refugees and asylum seekers.
Officials have been in discussion with organisations that support asylum seekers, including the Scottish Refugee Council, on how best to make the application process accessible to asylum seekers and refugees. They have also put Glasgow Life, who administer the NEC scheme in Glasgow, in touch with organisations that support asylum seekers to discuss application routes.
The Improvement Service issued guidance on applications for asylum seekers and refugees to Local Authorities, who administer in person applications, in September 2021. This guidance advised that proofs specific to asylum seekers and refugees, such as the Application Registration Card (ARC) issued by the Home Office, can be used to apply for a NEC in person, in conjunction with other information or evidence available to a council, a school or a dedicated staff member within a Local Authority.
This information is available on the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme page on the Transport Scotland website.