Free bus travel for under-22s in Scotland begins

Free bus travel for everyone under 22 in Scotland is to begin from 31 January.

It's part of a scheme that was agreed under last year's SNP/Green budget deal at Holyrood.

But many parents and young people have reported problems in applying for the new passes needed.

BBC Scotland looks at how the new scheme will work, and some of the issues it's facing.

Free bus travel for everyone in Scotland aged under 22 will begin on 31 January.

This will cover about 930,000 people.

However, because of the pandemic, the Scottish government was asking only those with an essential need to travel by bus to apply before 31 January.

It said examples of essential need might be for "work, education, health or care reasons".

From 31 January, everyone eligible is being encouraged to apply.

As of Sunday 30 January, 117,082 applications had been made, with 55,375 passes dispatched.

There were 22,184 applications rejected - for example, for including wrong or expired documents, a picture which didn't meet the guidelines, or where the information on the application doesn't match the information on the documents.

Currently 45,574 applications are still being reviewed.

Beginning next week, Scottish bus travel will become much more affordable for young people aged 18 to 22, thanks to a new initiative from the Scottish Government. Under the scheme, bus companies will be required to offer discounted fares for this age group, with no requirement for a student ID or proof of income. This is an exciting development, as it means that young people in Scotland will have more affordable and convenient ways to get around.