Concern over uptake of free bus travel among Aberdeenshire's young people
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New figures have shown that more than 35 per cent of young people in Aberdeenshire who are eligible for free bus travel still do not have a pass – 18 months since the Scottish Government initiative launched.
Anyone aged under 22 is able to register for a card that allows unlimited travel on bus routes across Scotland.
The flagship free bus travel scheme cost the public purse more than £102 million in its first year of launching.
And now new figures obtained by north-east MSP Liam Kerr show 35.6 per cent of under 22s have not applied for a pass while the 30,900 people who have one are not using the card as much as other areas in Scotland.
It comes as bus services across Aberdeenshire have been slashed in recent months due to cuts to bus funding and local councils which has left communities without reliable services.
In Aberdeen, 25.5 per cent of young people do not have a bus pass and in Angus almost 35 per cent have not applied.
In Moray, 45 per cent of under 22s do not have a bus pass making it one of the worst in Scotland for uptake of the scheme.
Mr Kerr, the Scottish Conservative shadow transport secretary, called on more to be done, particularly in schools, to help people with the “unnecessarily complex” application process.
Mr Kerr said: “It’s alarming to see how much the SNP’s free bus travel scheme has underperformed with uptake for under 22s in areas such as Aberdeenshire well below what should be expected for a costly project of this size.
“Young people are clearly being put off from applying because too many obstacles have been put in their way by the unnecessarily complex application process.
“While this scheme continues to be handled poorly, bus services across the north-east are being cut and ticket prices hiked as operators and councils struggle with a lack of funding from the SNP Government.
“This is leaving urban and rural communities without reliable bus services and limiting their everyday lives as we have seen in places such as Kingswells, Alford, Hatton and Echt in recent weeks.
“The Scottish Government must get their act together to ensure those who need bus services the most don’t miss out.”
