Transport Scotland Concessionary Travel Scheme queries: FOI release

Information requested

1. How is the reimbursement to a bus operator for the use of a concession card calculated? Does this vary by operator / route / local authority area? Please provide any guidance on calculations that you think will help me to understand how the scheme works.

2. Could you confirm how the annual costs of the scheme (past three years as published here https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-202500473730/) are distributed between local authority areas and within each local authority area to each operator?

Response

1. The reimbursement rate to bus operators is agreed on an annual basis between the industry and Transport Scotland on behalf of Scottish Ministers, as laid out in the Scottish Statutory Instruments 2006 No. 107 Article 12, available to view at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2006/107/article/12/made and also the Scottish Statutory Instruments 2021 No. 175 Article 12 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2021/175/article/12/made.

The reimbursement rate is applied to the cost of the adult single fare for the journey. This rate does not vary by bus operator, route or local authority area.

The current reimbursement rates for the financial year 2025/26 are:

• Older and Disabled Persons’ Scheme – 52.9%
• Young Persons’ Scheme (aged 5 to 15) – 47.9%
• Young Persons’ Scheme (aged 16 to 21) – 72.4%

2. Reimbursements are made by Transport Scotland direct to operators based on actual journeys made and are not allocated through the local authority for distribution. As many service routes travel through multiple local authority areas it is also not possible to provide a breakdown of costs paid to operators based on a geographical basis.

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