Scheme terms and conditions

Card must be in good working order

• You (or parents, guardians, or carers of cardholders aged between 5-15 years old) must ensure that your card is kept in a good condition and presented to the bus ticket machine or other transport ticketing equipment in good working order i.e. undamaged in any way.
• If your card is damaged so that it cannot be scanned on the bus ticket machine (or other transport ticketing equipment) you will be required to pay the full fare for your journey. You (or parents/guardians of cardholders aged 5-15 years old) will have to ensure that the appropriate bus fare or other transport ticket can be paid in full by cash or other alternative payment methods.
• If your card is damaged it is your responsibility (or parents/guardians of young people aged between 5-15 years old) to request a replacement card from your local authority or online to allow access to free bus travel and any other transport discounts.
• If you need a new or replacement card then please visit our How to Apply pages for information on how to do this.

Card – Not Transferable

• Those eligible to access the young persons’ free bus travel scheme will be provided with a card that is unique to them. Please carry your card with you when you are travelling.
• Cards should be kept safe and must only be used by the named cardholder to access free bus travel.
• Cards must not be used by or given to any other person for their use.
• Transport operators may refuse free travel to anyone where the image on the card doesn’t match the person presenting it.
• Transport Scotland has a fraud policy and any person(s) found to be misusing any aspect of the scheme (including allowing a card to be used by someone else) may have their entitlement to free bus travel suspended. Incidents of misuse may also be reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.
• Cardholders (and parents/guardians of cardholders aged 5-15 years old) have a duty to report any changes of circumstances which may affect entitlement, including changes of address, to their local authority.

General Information

• Travel using a National Entitlement Card is subject to the normal regulations and conditions of carriage of each transport operator.
• Your card gives you the same rights as a full-fare paying passenger.
• The Young Scot NEC is part of the accredited proof of age card scheme PASS. This means that the Young Scot NEC can be used as proof of age.
• The photo on your card needs to be kept up to date to use it to prove your age for age restricted products or services. Your card must not be used by any other person.