Scottish Ministers will, from 24 March 2026, hold explicit powers to suspend or withdraw access to free bus travel where a passholder breaches published standards of conduct. The National Bus Travel Concession Schemes (Miscellaneous Amendment) (Scotland) Order 2026 sits under section 40 of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005; instruments of this type proceed by affirmative resolution under section 52(3). The Scottish Parliament’s Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee considered the draft on 17 February and linked implementation to the 24 March start date, with MSPs subsequently backing the measure. (legislation.gov.uk)
The Order amends both the 2006 scheme for older and disabled persons and the 2021 young persons’ scheme by inserting a new article 14A empowering Ministers to determine and publish standards of conduct for eligible users. It also expands the travel‑card provisions so a National Entitlement Card may be suspended or withdrawn where those standards are breached. Before any decision, Ministers must give notice, set out the grounds and allow the individual to make representations. These safeguards are recorded in evidence submitted to Parliament. (cypcs.org.uk)
Coverage is comprehensive. The rules apply to all national concessionary passholders: older and disabled residents under the long‑running scheme launched in 2006, and young people aged 5–21 under the Young Persons’ Scheme introduced in 2022. Committee papers summarise both schemes’ scope and operation. (parliament.scot)
Ministers argue the change responds to concerns about antisocial behaviour on buses. A forthcoming code of conduct will set clear expectations and focus on actions that harm, threaten or significantly disrupt others, with implementation phased to reflect business impacts, child wellbeing and the needs of older and disabled people. (news.stv.tv)
Stakeholders pressed for consistent and rights‑based safeguards. The Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland urged a transparent process with formal notification, evidence‑based decisions, an opportunity to respond, and access to review or appeal, noting potential impacts on education, health appointments and employment access if passes are removed. (cypcs.org.uk)
Timing and delivery were central to scrutiny. The Official Report captures the Committee clearing the draft on 17 February and recording that, once approved, implementation had to begin by 24 March. Ministers acknowledged operational complexity and indicated detailed processes and the code would be developed through 2026, underlining the enabling nature of the Order. (parliament.scot)
For cardholders, the immediate practical change is that conduct standards-once published by Ministers-will underpin decisions to suspend or withdraw concessionary bus travel, with a statutory opportunity to make representations before any outcome. For administrators, the Order creates a clear paper trail of notice, reasons and responses to support fair and reviewable decisions. (cypcs.org.uk)
The financial scale remains significant. In parallel, MSPs also approved the ‘No. 2’ Order for 2026‑27, setting reimbursement rates and annual caps for operators across both schemes. Committee discussion referenced a combined reimbursement total of around £468.6 million against a wider £472.8 million budget line for concessionary travel, with the gap reflecting administration costs. (parliament.scot)