Current status: Answered by Stephen Flynn on 24 August 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether the current concessionary travel reimbursement rate model adequately reflects the higher average fare, and therefore higher revenue-forgone cost, of rural bus journeys compared with urban journeys.
National Concessionary Travel Schemes reimbursement rates are negotiated annually between Transport Scotland and the Confederation of Passenger Transport on behalf of bus operators, using an agreed economic model. The model is updated annually to take into account the latest developments in fares, operating costs, passenger behaviours and travel demand, to ensure that the rates are set to leave operators financially no better and no worse off for their participation in the schemes. The model uses a weighted average fare, which reflects the fares and relative volume of concessionary journeys made on all services under the scheme.