Concessionary travel spend and statistics: FOI release

Information requested

For all the below requests please consider January to June 2023.

• Total amount of money that Transport Scotland has provided First Glasgow for the purposes of concessionary travel, enumerated into older people's, disabled, and young persons’ travel.
• Percentage of destinations that concessionary passengers chose when boarding the 4 or 4A First Glasgow bus between the Hyndland, after Crown Road North and the Hillhead, at University Library timing points when heading towards Newton Mearns or Eaglesham respectively.
• Number of concessionary trips undertaken between the above timing points to the City Centre and the respective bus route terminuses.
• The fees that Transport Scotland pays back to First Bus for concessionary trips from between the above timing points to the City Centre and the respective bus route terminuses.
• Percentage of destinations that concessionary passengers chose when boarding the 6 or 6A First Glasgow bus between the Hillhead, opp Saltoun Street and the Glasgow, after Cambridge Street timing points when heading towards East Kilbride or City Centre respectively.
• Number of concessionary trips undertaken between the above timing points to the City Centre and the respective bus route terminuses.
• The fees that Transport Scotland pays back to First Bus for concessionary trips from between the above timing points to the City Centre and the respective bus route terminuses.

And for the following please consider January 2022 to present:

• Any communication between Transport Scotland and First Glasgow regarding over-staging.
• Any communication between Transport Scotland concessionary travel unit staff and First Glasgow regarding the elimination of paper bus concessionary receipts.

I would also like to request any and all information that Transport Scotland might hold about me in the context of concessionary travel. If individual trips can be enumerated, I would like the fee that Transport Scotland paid to each operator to be mentioned.

Response

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because of an exemption under section 33(1)(b). We are unable to provide data for most of the points you requested covering the period January 2023 to June 2023 due to commercial sensitivities and in the interests of not placing First Glasgow at a competitive disadvantage.

However we are able to provide total payments made to First Glasgow. Our payments are made on a four weekly period basis. The figures below are from between 02/01/23 (Period 11 2023-24) and
25/06/23 (Period 3 2024-03). We do not separate payment data for the Older and Disabled Persons’ Scheme, so this figure is combined. The payments for the periods described were:

• Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme - £12,421,151.05.
• Older and Disabled Persons’ Scheme - £19,780,512.33.

Attached are copies of correspondence covering the period requested on engagement between Transport Scotland and First Glasgow regarding overstaging.

Engagement with First Glasgow also occurred due to First Glasgow suggesting, on behalf of the Glasgow Bus Alliance operators that were moving to a paperless system, that Bus Users Scotland be
used to undertake mystery shopping on routes selected by Transport Scotland. This work is currently ongoing. Correspondence between Transport Scotland and First Glasgow on this matter have been attached covering the period as requested.

To request information that Transport Scotland may hold on you in the context of concessionary travel, please send a Subject Access Request for this information to analysisteam@transport.gov.scot.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI - 202300385712 - Information released - Annex A

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FOI - 202300385712 - Information released - Annex B

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