Stirling MSP Bruce Crawford has welcomed the SNP Transport Secretary’s recent announcement of extending the concessionary travel scheme.
The scheme will now extend to companions of eligible disabled children under the age of five – resulting in over 3,000 families across Scotland being eligible for a bus pass.
In addition to this, the Transport Secretary, Michael Matheson, announced that there will be no change in the age of eligibility for concessionary travel, and it will remain universally available to everyone over the age of 60.
The consultation on the scheme closed in November 2017, with nearly 3000 responses received from people and organisations all across Scotland. Two thirds of respondents felt that that the free bus pass should remain available from the age of 60. A similar number of respondents felt that Modern Apprentices should benefit from free bus travel, and an overwhelming number of respondents were in favour of providing companion cards for eligible disabled children aged under five.
Commenting, Bruce Crawford said:
“The bus pass is something that many people enjoy, but it is also a necessity in enabling people to access services that they need as well as to visit friends and family elsewhere in the country.
“Extending this scheme to include companions of young children under five who are disabled is an important step, not only in promoting quality of life, but in ensuring that crucial services are much easier to access.
“Concessionary travel enables independence and promotes wellbeing – I am therefore delighted that the SNP Scottish Government is further delivering on its commitment to providing concessionary rates of travel for people who need it most.”
