Gordon Macdonald MSP has marked “the transformative impact of SNP policies” as new figures show 42,368,125 of bus journeys were made by under 22s in Edinburgh since the SNP Government introduced the policy three years ago.
Earlier this week it was revealed that over 200 million free bus journeys had been made by young people across Scotland. The scheme continues to help eradicate child poverty, tackle climate change and grow the economy by providing free access to education, employment and leisure.
Through the 2025-26 Budget, the Scottish Government will provide £409 million for concessionary bus travel, providing access to free bus travel for almost 2.3 million people.
Commenting, Gordon Macdonald MSP said: “Eradicating child poverty is the number one priority of this SNP Government, and by facilitating 42,368,125 journeys for under 22s across the city – , the highest recorded across all local authority areas – we are making progress towards this goal.
“With over 200 million journeys now made across Scotland, this SNP policy is saving young people and their families significant amounts of money while creating new opportunities.
“This policy has been one of the most instrumental in improving the lives of young people across Edinburgh, supporting our bus services, our community, and our climate.
“This is the SNP under John Swinney delivering on Scotland’s priorities and for the city’s young people.”
Journeys made for the Under 22’s Free Bus Scheme since its launch, broken down by local authority area (as at 1/3/25):
| Local Authority | Total Journeys |
| Aberdeen City | 11,755,210 |
| Aberdeenshire | 5,817,811 |
| Angus Council | 2,795,910 |
| Argyll & Bute | 1,592,223 |
| City of Edinburgh | 42,368,125 |
| Clackmannanshire | 949,142 |
| Comhairle nan Eilean Siar | 290,964 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 2,808,657 |
| Dundee City | 9,078,908 |
| East Ayrshire | 5,095,101 |
| East Dunbartonshire | 2,729,489 |
| East Lothian | 5,856,702 |
| East Renfrewshire | 2,688,049 |
| Falkirk | 2,943,570 |
| Fife | 5,847,992 |
| Glasgow City | 26,926,132 |
| Highland | 4,210,245 |
| Inverclyde | 3,073,230 |
| Midlothian | 5,444,718 |
| Moray | 1,703,065 |
| North Ayrshire | 5,677,541 |
| North Lanarkshire | 8,155,430 |
| Orkney Islands | 285,724 |
| Perth & Kinross | 4,563,953 |
| Renfrewshire | 6,794,793 |
| Scottish Borders | 2,696,004 |
| Shetland Islands | 553,252 |
| South Ayrshire | 2,923,356 |
| South Lanarkshire | 7,440,121 |
| Stirling | 2,524,385 |
| West Dunbartonshire | 3,564,053 |
| West Lothian | 4,880,594 |
| Total | 204,034,449 |
