Scottish young people save hundreds on bus travel compared with rest of UK

Young Scots are saving hundreds of pounds a year on bus travel compared with those in England, the SNP have said.

The Scottish Government introduced free bus travel for under-21s as part of the coalition deal with the Scottish Greens, with the policy eventually extended to include all under-22s.

A similar trial scheme recommended by Westminster’s Transport Committee in England was rejected by the Government in October with ministers citing cost, but the response committed to working with Transport Scotland to understand the benefits of the policy north of the border.

Research by the SNP’s Westminster group found that a student bus pass in London was £692 for the year, rising as high as £1,570 in the south-east of England.

The figures rose for non-students, with a London pass costing £988 and rising as high as £1,488 for the whole of the North West – based on the purchase of 12 passes lasting 28 days each.

The SNP’s Westminster transport spokesman Graham Leadbitter said: “Under John Swinney’s SNP government, young people in Scotland are saving thousands of pounds compared to those living under Keir Starmer’s Labour Government in England.

“More than 274 million free bus journeys have now been taken since the SNP introduced free bus travel for under-22s.

“With the average UK bus journey costing £2.47 for a single fare, that is a collective saving worth hundreds of millions of pounds.”

He said the refusal to implement a similar model south of the border “means many are forced to spend over £1,000 a year just to travel to their workplace, college or university – adding to the financial burden for families”.

Mr Leadbitter said the Scottish Government policy formed part of wider cost-of-living support north of the border.

“The SNP has delivered the best cost-of-living support anywhere in the UK, while the Labour Party has taken Broken Brexit Britain from bad to worse and proven they can’t be trusted to keep their promises on anything,” he said.

A UK Government spokesperson said: “The Government is investing £3 billion in better bus services, and giving local leaders the flexibility they need to introduce their own local fares offers.”

Published: 02/02/2026 by Radio NewsHub