Success of the Under-22s Free Bus Pass

That the Parliament welcomes what it sees as the significant success of the under-22s free bus pass scheme to date; understands that usage of the free bus pass has continued to grow since it commenced on 31 January 2022; believes that the scheme removes barriers to allow young people to take advantage of various opportunities, such as college courses, employment and youth programmes, where otherwise financial barriers may exist; acknowledges what it sees as the positive impact that the free bus pass has had for families, including, it understands, greatly decreasing the cost of family travel and allowing families to explore both the wider area and right across Scotland; believes that free bus travel has also been particularly important during the ongoing cost of living crisis; notes that, according to Transport Scotland, between the introduction of the pass and December 2023, over 100 million free bus journeys have been made by under-22s, with, it understands, a further seven million being made since January 2024 alone; believes that, without free bus travel, many of these important journeys would not have been possible; acknowledges what it sees as the potential that the under-22s free bus pass can have in furthering Scotland’s progress towards net zero, given that nearly 36% of Scotland’s emissions reportedly came from transport in 2018, and that one full double decker bus equates to taking up to 75 cars off the road; believes that free bus travel for young people is likely to see young people more likely to use public transport in adulthood, and looks forward to millions more journeys being made in the coming years as, it believes, the under-22s free bus travel continues to improve the lives of young people in Scotland and their families.