Free Public Transport For All Students

Students rely on public transport more than three times as much as the average worker in Scotland. They are helping drive the shift to greener travel, but too many are still held back by services that are unaffordable, unreliable or unavailable when they need them.

Recent progress, including free bus travel for under-22s and the abolition of peak rail fares show what is possible when affordability is treated as a priority. But progress remains incomplete. More than half of students are too old for free bus travel, and the 10% who commute by train face fares far higher than those of many of their counterparts across Europe.

When 28% of students have missed a class or placement because they could not afford travel, transport is clearly a barrier to education. Scotland should lead the UK by building a public transport system that works for students and for everyone. We call on your government to:

  • Expand free bus travel eligibility to all students, regardless of age
  • Empower and fund local councils to bring buses into public ownership.
  • Introduce free rail travel for all students.

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