Under 22s living in Scotland can benefit from free bus travel from today (31 January) through a Scottish Government scheme that has the potential to transform bus travel while benefiting children, young people and families.
What does this mean for you and your child?
Your child will be able to access free bus travel on registered bus services across Scotland including a very limited number of local cross-border services from the south of Scotland into northern England.
How will I and my child obtain free bus travel?
Young people aged between 5 and 21 years old will need to have a National Entitlement Card (card) or a Young Scot National Entitlement Card. The card has an electronic chip inside it. When a child gets on a bus, the bus driver will ask them to tap the card against a card reader. The card reader will tell the bus driver if the child has free bus travel enabled on their card or not.
Children under 16 years old will need their parent/guardian to apply on their behalf and provide approval for free bus travel to be enabled on their child’s card.
Young people aged 16 years and over will be able to apply for free bus travel themselves.Children under 5 years old can already travel on buses for free. They will not need to apply for a card.
How do I and my child get the Free Bus Travel?
New applicants and existing cardholders can apply online at the Get Your NEC website getyournec.scot
You will need to have either a driver’s licence and your child’s full birth certificate or a passport and proof of address, plus the birth certificate to apply on behalf of your child via Get Your NEC.