Operating costs for Young Person’s Free Bus Travel scheme: FOI release

Information requested

1. What have been the operating costs for Transport Scotland’s the Young Person’s (Under 22) Free Bus Travel scheme in each financial year, since its introduction?
2. What have been the costs for Transport Scotland to raise awareness, market, and promote the Young Person’s (Under 22) Free Bus Travel scheme in each financial year, since its introduction?
3. How many complaints have been raised to Transport Scotland in relation to the Young Person’s (Under 22) Free Bus Travel in each financial year, since its introduction?

Response

Each point has been addressed in turn.

1. What have been the operating costs for Transport Scotland’s the Young Person’s (Under 22) Free Bus Travel scheme in each financial year, since its introduction?
   Between 31 January 2022 and 31 March 2022 the Scottish Government spent £10,555,817.00 on operational costs for the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme.
   
   Between 1 April 2022 and 29 November 2022 the Scottish Government spent £63,063,441.97 on operational costs for the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme.
    
2. What have been the costs for Transport Scotland to raise awareness, market, and promote the Young Person’s (Under 22) Free Bus Travel scheme in each financial year, since its introduction?
   Between 31 January 2022 and 31 March 2022 the Scottish Government spent £766,347.01 on marketing costs for the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme. This includes spend on creative development, production and additional preparatory work in advance of the delivery of the national marketing campaign, as well as some advertisements.
   
   Between 1 April 2022 and 29 November the Scottish Government spent £370,784.33 on marketing costs for the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme.
    
3. How many complaints have been raised to Transport Scotland in relation to the Young Person’s (Under 22) Free Bus Travel in each financial year, since its introduction?
   Between 31 January 2022 and 31 March 2022 the Concessionary Travel and Integrated Ticketing Team at Transport Scotland received 1,820 pieces of email correspondence relating to the Young Persons Free Bus Travel Scheme.
   
   Between 1 April 2022 and 31 October 2022, the Concessionary Travel and Integrated Ticketing Team at Transport Scotland received 2,873 pieces of email correspondence relating to the Young Persons Free Bus Travel Scheme.
   
   This number is all the email correspondence received relating to the scheme, and includes topics such as requesting general information about the scheme (such as the scheme launch date, and the eligibility requirements), applying for / renewing a card, questions around proof documents, and seeking alternative routes of applying. Transport Scotland does not categorise correspondence specifically as ‘complaints’.

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