Free bus pass scheme: FOI release

Information requested

1. Was the free bus pass application system beta tested before it went live and if so could you attach a list of problems that were found?

2. If it was not beta tested, why was it not?

3. What is the current uptake for the free bus pass scheme in each local authority, breakdown of how many have been applied for and how many applications have been rejected and how many have been accepted?

4. Percentage of accepted applications in each region compared to how many people are eligible? Numbers for both of these as well?

Response

1. Was the free bus pass application system beta tested before it went live and if so could you attach a list of problems that were found?

The Scottish Government does not have the information you have asked for as the Scottish Government is not responsible for getyournec.scot and therefore cannot confirm the outcome of any beta testing of getyournec.scot. This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

You may wish to contact the Improvement Service for further detail on this point.

2. If it was not beta tested, why was it not?

The Scottish Government does not have the information you have asked for as the Scottish Government is not responsible for getyournec.scot. This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

You may wish to contact the Improvement Service for further detail on this point.

3. What is the current uptake for the free bus pass scheme in each local authority, breakdown of how many have been applied for and how many applications have been rejected and how many have been accepted?

The table below shows the number of cards issued under the Young Persons Scheme (YPS) as at close of business on 20 June 2022, broken down to local authority level. Please note that “cards issued” includes new and replacement cards. This information includes the number of travel products collected from the Transport Scot Pass Collect mobile application held by Transport Scotland and data supplied by the National Entitlement Card Programme Office (NECPO).

Transport Scotland is not the data controller for the data supplied by NECPO. Transport Scotland can only send the most-recently shared data from NECPO. Please contact NECPO for up-to-date data.

Local authority	Total Cards Issued
Total	410,721
Aberdeen City	18,603
Aberdeenshire	22,610
Angus Council	5,473
Argyll & Bute	4,413
City of Edinburgh	53,249
Clackmanmanshire	2,216
Comhairie nan Eilean Siar	1,157
Dumfries and Galloway	7,674
Dundee City	16,991
East Ayrshire	13,485
East Dunbartonshire	6,009
East Lothian	9,903
East Renfrewshire	6,687
Falkirk	7,187
Fife	30,811
Glasgow City	45,950
Highland	11,065
Inverclyde	11,615
Midlothian	7,130
Moray	5,613
North Ayrshire	11,911
North Lanarkshire	23,629
Orkney Islands	985
Perth & Kinross	10,319
Renfrewshire	15,296
Scottish Borders	7,987
Shetland Islands	1,894
South Ayrshire	4,747
South Lanarkshire	18,611
Stirling	5,233
West Dunbartonshire	9,313
West Lothian	12,955

Each local authority is responsible for their individual offline application process and is not required to report centrally on the total number of applications received. The Scottish Government therefore does not have the information you have asked for regarding the breakdown of the number of applications that have been rejected and accepted per local authority. This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.

You may wish to contact the Improvement Service for further details on the number of rejected applications per local authority through the online application process getyournec.scot.
You may also wish to contact individual local authorities for a breakdown of the data that they can provide.

4. Percentage of accepted applications in each region compared to how many people are eligible? Numbers for both of these as well?

The table below shows the number of cards issued under the Young Persons Scheme (YPS) as at close of business on 20 June 2022, broken down to local authority level, compared to estimated eligible population. Please note that “cards issued” includes new and replacement cards. This information includes the number of travel products collected from the Transport Scot Pass Collect mobile application held by Transport Scotland and data supplied by the National Entitlement Card Programme Office (NECPO).

Transport Scotland is not the data controller for the data supplied by NECPO. Transport Scotland can only send the most-recently shared data from NECPO. Please contact NECPO for up-to-date data.

Local authority	Total Cards issued	Estimated eligible population	Cards per estimated eligible population %
Total	410,721	930,000	44.2%
Aberdeen City	18,603	35,344	52.6%
Aberdeenshire	22,610	48,316	46.8%
Angus Council	5,473	19,552	28.0%
Argyll and Bute	4,413	13,254	33.3%
City of Edinburgh	53,249	79,712	66.8%
Clackmannanshire	2,216	9,118	24.3%
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar	1,157	1,504	76.9%
Dumfries and Galloway	7,674	23,594	32.5%
Dundee City	16,991	25,004	68.0%
East Ayrshire	13,485	21,056	64.0%
East Dunbartonshire	6,009	19,740	30.4%
East Lothian	9,903	19,646	50.4%
East Renfrewshire	6,687	20,116	33.2%
Falkirk	7,187	28,200	25.5%
Fife	30,811	66,176	46.6%
Glasgow City	45,950	100,580	45.7%
Highland	11,065	39,574	28.0%
Inverclyde	11,615	12,784	90.9%
Midlothian	7,130	17,484	40.8%
Moray	5,613	16,544	33.9%
North Ayrshire	11,911	23,030	51.7%
North Lanarkshire	23,629	63,356	37.3%
Orkney Islands	985	3,572	27.6%
Perth and Kinross	10,319	25,098	41.1%
Renfrewshire	15,296	30,456	50.2%
Scottish Borders	7,987	19,176	41.7%
Shetland Islands	1,894	4,230	44.8%
South Ayrshire	4,747	17,954	26.4%
South Lanarkshire	18,611	55,554	33.5%
Stirling	5,233	16,450	31.8%
West Dunbartonshire	9,313	15,604	59.7%
West Lothian	12,955	35,626	36.4%

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