Free bus travel for asylum seekers: FOI release

Information requested

Part One

• The total amount spent on the free bus travel for asylum seekers policy so far and a breakdown of what that expenditure has covered.
• The remaining funds currently ring fenced for this policy.
• The latest update on the current status of the policy.

Part Two

All documentation held by Transport Scotland, including correspondence sent and received (including internal), minutes/notes from meetings, briefings and analysis, about the free bus travel for asylum seekers policy, from the last three months?

(12 August 2025 to 11 November 2025)

Response

Part One

The total amount spent on the free bus travel for asylum seekers policy as at 13 November 2025 was nil and the budget for 2025/26 only is £2 million.

We are working with a Working Group consisting of Local Authority and Third Sector representatives to deliver the pilot which launched on 1 December 2025. We recognise that bus travel has the potential to be transformative for people seeking asylum, who are among the most vulnerable in society.

Part Two

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the costs of locating, retrieving and providing the information requested for part two would exceed the upper cost limit of £600. The number of emails within the three month period requested would be too voluminous to review within the upper cost limit. Under section 12 of FOISA public authorities are not required to comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying would exceed the upper cost limit, which is currently set at £600 by Regulations made under section 12. You may, however, wish to consider reducing the scope of your request in order that the costs can be brought below £600, for example by reducing the date range of your request or by reducing the type of documentation covered by your request. You may also find it helpful to look at the Scottish Information Commissioner's 'Tips for requesting information under FOI and the EIRs' on his website at: http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/YourRights/Tipsforrequesters.aspx.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.