Question reference: S6W-18489
- Asked by: Kaukab Stewart, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 1 June 2023
-
Current status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 15 June 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many young people have received a travel card through the Young Persons’ (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel scheme in the Glasgow Kelvin constituency since it was introduced, and how much in total it estimates this has saved young people on bus travel.
Answer
By the end of May 2023, there were 67,615 cardholders under the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme in Glasgow. This represents 67% of the estimated eligible population in the local authority area.
Cardholder data is supplied by the National Entitlement Card Programme Office (NECPO) and is provided by local authority. As such, data is not available by constituency area. The figure includes travel products collected from the Transport Scot Pass Collect mobile app.
In March 2022, the Child Poverty Action Group reported that free bus travel can save a total of £3,000 in the lifetime cost of a child in Scotland, compared to those living in England.