Scotland announces free bus travel for under 22s

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed that all under 22s in Scotland will have access to free bus travel from 31 January 2022.

Implementing a commitment agreed with the Scottish Green Party, the change means that around 930,000 young people across Scotland will benefit from free bus travel from the start of next year.

New research commissioned by Transport Scotland shows that 61 per cent of young Scots agree that access to public transport will play a central role in the fight against climate change. Additionally, 70 per cent of young people indicate they would use public transport more frequently if it was free.

Alongside the announcement, a Bus Decarbonisation Taskforce has been convened which brings bus operators, the supply chain, energy companies and financiers together to co-design a pathway to a fully zero-emission bus fleet. Transport Scotland has made £50 million available to the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund, to further support the Scottish bus fleet to transition to zero emission.

Sturgeon said: “We are committed to giving our young people the very best chances to succeed in life. The extension of free bus travel to all under 22s will improve access to education, leisure, and work, while supporting the adoption of sustainable travel behaviours early in their lives.

“COP26 must be a turning point for the world, and action must be taken if we are to ‘keep 1.5 alive’, and Governments across the world must act to support this. Adopting more sustainable travel behaviour is vital if we are to reach our world-leading goal of reducing the number of kilometres travelled by car by 20% by 2030 and reaching net zero emissions by 2045.”