Bus pass rise
National Concessionary Tra v e l Scheme has proved hugely beneficial, and popular, but we have to ensure it is sustainable in the long-term.
“We will be consulting with stakeholders on ways to protect the longterm sustainability of the NCTS and on our plans to extend free bus travel to young modern apprentices.”
Humza Yousaf. PLANS to increase the age at which people qualify for a free bus pass has won the backing of older Scots.
An opinion poll has found more than two-thirds of Scots over the age of 60 support the money-saving move.
A total of 51% backed the age shifting from 60 to 65 years old.
Crucially all of those polled will not be affected by the changes, revealed by The Sunday Post in January, as it will not affect current pass holders.
Elsewhere a shake-up of the bus industry that would introduce local franchising has also won backing.
Transport minister Humza Yousaf said: “The results of the Sunday Post poll make very interesting reading. I note the majority of those surveyed support raising the age of eligibility.
“To ensure longer-term sustainability of our concessionary travel scheme and to extend free bus travel to young modern apprentices we are preparing to engage with stakeholders to gather views.
“This week I met with a number of WASPI campaigners, and we have also committed to introducing a transport bill during the current Parliament with the aim of strengthening the range of options available to local authorities to improve bus services in their areas.”
The Survation poll of 1000 older voters asked people to what extent they supported or opposed raising the age at which someone is eligible for a free bus pass, providing current holders are unaffected.
A total of 55% backed the move, 20% were against and the rest said neither or didn’t know.
The poll found 23% of respondents thought everybody in Scotland aged over 60 should be able to travel by bus for free and 51% said it should be 65 or over.
A further 11% said only those aged over 60 on low incomes should be able to travel by bus for free, while 11% said it should be for those on low incomes over the age 65. Those who did not know accounted for 4% of the poll.
Survation also asked if there should be more public say over how bus services are operated in Scotland and 70% said yes, 15% said no and the rest were unsure.
Unite Scottish secretary Pat Rafferty said: “It’s no surprise so many people want more control over bus services. “Our members in the bus industry want to provide a good service, but too-often they are struggling to do that because of a system that gets in their way by putting profit before people.
“Buses are the lifeblood of Scotland’s transport system. We need them to be affordable, reliable, joined-up and of good quality. Unite believes the best way to do that is to bring buses back to where they used to be – in common ownership.”