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Young Persons' Free Bus Travel

All 5-21 year olds resident in Scotland are eligible for Young Persons' Free Bus Travel, using a National Entitlement Card with the free bus travel product on it. Without this, you will be unable to travel for free on bus services in Scotland.

Info for parents and guardians 
If you are a parent or guardian of a 5-15 year old then you must apply on their behalf. This will allow you to continue to exercise responsibility over their wellbeing and safety. Remember that free bus travel is available nationwide. This means your child can travel across Scotland, so please take care when making the decision about applying for them.

How do I apply for my child? 

My child is aged 11-15 and already has a Young Scot/National Entitlement Card 

If your child already has a NEC and is aged between 11 and 15, you will need to apply for Young Persons' Free Bus travel, as parental approval is required. A replacement card with the travel product on it will be delivered by post. 

You will need the following to apply: 

  • your child’s National Entitlement Card number (16 digits on the front of the card) 
  • proof of your child's identity (eg.passport or Young Scot card) 
  • proof of your child's address (only if they live at a different address from you) 
  • your child's birth or adoption certificate (listing both applicant's and your name) – note: abbreviated birth certificate will NOT be accepted
  • proof of disability (if applying for disabled concessionary travel) 
  • recent digital photo of the child 

If you do not have their card number you'll need to submit a brand new card application.  
You will need to sign in using your mygovscot myaccount (you can register if you don't have one). 

You'll also need a photo or scan of the following: 

  • your proof of identity (passport, Young Scot card, driving licence or Yoti)
  • proof of your address if you use your passport (eg Council tax bill or bank statement) 

For a full list of accepted proofs click here

What does Free Bus Travel mean for your child? 

Your child will be able to access free bus travel on registered bus services across Scotland including a very limited number of local cross-border services from the south of Scotland into northern England. If you change your mind at any time, you can apply to have the travel product removed.

If you don't have all the proofs required, you can't apply on getyournec.scot, so click here to find the contact details of your council who will be able to offer another application method.

Tip! If you don't have scanned copies of your documents, if you access getyournec.scot on a smartphone/tablet, you can take photos of your proofs during the application process.

NEC leisure card NEC ys card