Top tips

Letting your child or teenager use free nationwide bus travel can be a little daunting. It’s a big responsibility and it can be difficult to know they’re safe.

This is why we’re encouraging all parents, guardians and carers to have conversations with their kids about being confident when they’re travelling and doing so as safely as possible.

Starting the conversation

It’s never easy to start a serious conversation, so try to make it relevant for you. You may even want to start with a question because it’s a really nice way to show you value your child or teenager’s opinions.

Sometimes it’s helpful to break up the discussion into some bite-sized chats over a period of time. That gives you both a bit of space to process what you’ve already spoken about and avoids them feeling like they’ve been lectured.

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Some things to discuss

What to expect

Bus travel may be new and it’s difficult to know how it all works. Have a chat about what they might expect to see while they are out, how to interact with the driver and other passengers and how to use their card. We’ve got some advice for first time bus users you could use as a start. 

Planning their journey

Getting your child used to using the bus from a young age can build their confidence and independence. Planning their journey is an essential part of this. Ask if they know how to find out about bus routes and timetables. There are some really useful journey planning tools out there including Traveline Scotland. Find out more about how free bus travel works.

Travelling safely

There are lots of great tips for travelling safely above, so please discuss those with your child. Encourage them to keep in touch with you or another trusted adult whilst they are travelling and make sure they feel confident and comfortable enough to speak with their bus driver if they feel unsafe.

Keeping you informed

It’s not always possible for your child or teen to plan their journey in advance – especially when they’re being spontaneous with friends! The best thing to do is speak with them and explain the importance of keeping you in the loop. A wee text, call or WhatsApp message to let you know where they are, where they’re going and when they’re likely to be back home provides reassurance for you and a safety net for them. You should also keep a note of their 16-digit card number. (It’s the one beside the round, blue ‘ITSO’ logo).