Page 5 | Did you know this about the free bus travel?

Rae36 · 2022-01-02T21:53:50+00:00

Everyone aged between 5 and 21 needs to apply for a new Young Scot entitlement card (NEC) to qualify for free travel. Existing ones won't work. But you can't apply yet, you have to wait for Transport Scotland to tell you how to do it. So that's 900,000 people needing issued with a new card before 31st January so they can get the bus for free. Oh but you can't apply in plenty of time, right now you can't apply at all. [[https://young.scot/the-young-scot-card]] I should have put this on the railing thread because I'm majorly ranty about it, but I thought more people might spot it this way.

WeAllHaveWings · 14/01/2022 13:12

ds got his card today 👍(applied on 3rd, got approval email on 8th).

I know you are not allowed to smile in passport photos, but he looks bloody miserable in the one he took on his phone and sent in! Proper mugshot! 🤣

Absofruitly · 14/01/2022 17:48

I received my younger son's card in the post today (primary school age so no photo) and the library finally accepted the form and photo and sent it off for my older son yesterday (had to do it through the library as no valid photo ID for him to do it online). Things finally seem to be moving in the right direction.

TeenTraumaTrials · 14/01/2022 20:53

DD got hers this morning too. I can only assume the chip is hidden in the card as it looks EXACTLY the same as her old one. DS 13 is now asking when he'll get his. He's never on the bus but I think the idea of going with his friends to the retail park in town is now appealing for something different to do.

WeAllHaveWings · 14/01/2022 21:21

I wondered about the chip too, it might be something like this inside oyster card chip. Probably needed a new chip to work with this scheme.

Bluepeach · 19/01/2022 14:11

Oh, so glad to see this post! We have been counting down the days to the free bus travel for months and had no idea until reading this that a new card is needed. Hope it arrives in time!

User48751490 · 21/01/2022 20:04

Utterly useless system. I tried applying for my son's bus pass. Only two options it gives you for proof of identity of your child is passport or Young Scot card! Even though it says on their website you can use a birth certificate.

I have contacted local Young Scot office for assistance.

User48751490 · 21/01/2022 20:08

@Absofruitly

I received my younger son's card in the post today (primary school age so no photo) and the library finally accepted the form and photo and sent it off for my older son yesterday (had to do it through the library as no valid photo ID for him to do it online). Things finally seem to be moving in the right direction.

I phoned my library today who said that they don't deal with any of this - to contact DS's school.

User48751490 · 21/01/2022 20:11

@tigger1001

It's an awful application system. Saw mps bring that up yesterday before the covid briefing.

We still haven't got all the way through it. Been times out/kicked out etc. not sure how to get my youngest card either as he doesn't have a passport

It's f*cking awful, it really is. I was livid just after eight attempts of it scanning my driving licence! DS had to help out as I was losing the will to live.

tigger1001 · 21/01/2022 20:24

"It's f*cking awful, it really is. I was livid just after eight attempts of it scanning my driving licence! DS had to help out as I was losing the will to live"

I honestly don't get why they have made it so difficult to apply for. I mean both my kids already have young Scot cards so clearly have had their id verified through school (where they got the cards) it should honestly take 2 minutes to update them.

I gave up trying to get it to accept my drivers licence and went through yoti to verify my id.

MarshmallowFondant · 21/01/2022 22:39

What a carry on. Had to help DS who is in S2 apply for his NEC - he has not had a Young Scot card before as they usually apply for them in P7 and he missed the end of that because of Covid.

First I had to set up some ridiculous Scottish Government account which I really didn't want to do, then scan my driving licence, and my face, and my face again because it didn't work, and verify it, and verify again, and scan in DS's birth certificate just in case I was applying for some random child not linked to me and then finally it went through.

Total palaver.

User48751490 · 22/01/2022 07:10

@MarshmallowFondant

What a carry on. Had to help DS who is in S2 apply for his NEC - he has not had a Young Scot card before as they usually apply for them in P7 and he missed the end of that because of Covid.

First I had to set up some ridiculous Scottish Government account which I really didn't want to do, then scan my driving licence, and my face, and my face again because it didn't work, and verify it, and verify again, and scan in DS's birth certificate just in case I was applying for some random child not linked to me and then finally it went through.

Total palaver.

How did you manage to scan the birth certificate? There wasn't an option to do this last night when I tried.

I will be leaving it to the Young Scot office to sort out as I won't be trying again online.

WhatWouldTheDoctorDo · 22/01/2022 07:18

It was a total faff, we had several attempts before it finally worked. It was annoying as we'd not long gone through the rigmarole of getting a regular young Scot card online (DS being in the cohort that missed getting them at school because of covid). I really didn't want to set up a Scot gov account to do it but it turned out DH had one as he needed it for parent pay (though why you need to one to pay for your child's school lunch I don't know).

MarshmallowFondant · 22/01/2022 08:17

Applying for DD's passport renewal took 2 minutes in contrast.

We just took a photo of his birth certificate with his phone.

User48751490 · 22/01/2022 11:03

@MarshmallowFondant

Applying for DD's passport renewal took 2 minutes in contrast.

We just took a photo of his birth certificate with his phone.

What I mean is the only two options were for passport or Young Scot card to confirm child's identity.

User48751490 · 24/01/2022 11:37

Well the local Young Scot office has just directed me to the Help section of the website 🙄

Suffolkpunch345 · 24/01/2022 11:48

It’s such fantastic idea. Free prescriptions and bus for millionaires! Means testing ? What’s that! Better idea to raise taxes, drive talent elsewhere.

Whencountingto10isntenough · 24/01/2022 20:15

I know this may be a long shot, but are there any Foster Carers trying to access this disaster of a system for their children ? Unfortunately as my ID doesn’t match the parent details on his birth certificate, I appear to be stuck and our LA is unsure how to proceed. Gutted that this process has left any child not living with their Birth parents - unless Adopted - unable to apply!

ResilienceWanker · 24/01/2022 20:57

I'd never even considered that whencounting, but you're right, that's an obvious flaw with the system. Do you have any placement paperwork linking you with your children's names as an additional proof of identity to send to the council? If you can't get anything sorted though, that's definitely something that should be raised with MSPs or whoever can take it further. That is shockingly discriminatory if you can't apply because "the system" says no.

User48751490 · 24/01/2022 21:07

Got round the daft loophole of child's proof of identity by clicking upload passport (and uploading birth certificate instead as he doesn't have a passport). No idea if it will work but it successfully went through.

User48751490 · 24/01/2022 21:09

@Whencountingto10isntenough

I know this may be a long shot, but are there any Foster Carers trying to access this disaster of a system for their children ? Unfortunately as my ID doesn’t match the parent details on his birth certificate, I appear to be stuck and our LA is unsure how to proceed. Gutted that this process has left any child not living with their Birth parents - unless Adopted - unable to apply!

Hopefully you get somewhere by speaking over the phone to your local MSP. Something is amiss if all children can't get the same access to the free bus pass scheme.

theotherfossilsister · 24/01/2022 21:16

@Whencountingto10isntenough go into your local library, they will be able to advise you or contact someone on your behalf

weebarra · 24/01/2022 21:28

We had DD and DS2's rejected due to using their abbreviated birth certificate, despite also using their passports. It's like they don't want us to take advantage of it!

User48751490 · 24/01/2022 21:29

"2319inprogress

I also have kids with no passport or YS card confused

If they are under 16 would their birth certificate with parents proof of address surely work?

Over 16 - birth certificate, then provisional license or NI letter for proof of address?"

🤞🤞🤞🤞

User48751490 · 24/01/2022 21:31

@weebarra

We had DD and DS2's rejected due to using their abbreviated birth certificate, despite also using their passports. It's like they don't want us to take advantage of it!

DH insists that the Scottish Government really don't want all parents to rush to apply for free bus passes for their children. They will be making it as complicated as possible so very few are successful at being approved for the scheme!

Whencountingto10isntenough · 24/01/2022 22:26

Thanks for all the suggestions. I have sent copies of passport, birth certificate with his new legal name and the permanence order which gives us parental rights and responsibility , fingers crossed the LA can issue it from their end . The most frustrating things is he already has a Young Scot card which was issued by the school when he started S1 and this is just the update !

I have been thinking about contacting my MSP as I do feel most Looked After Children will be left with a really difficult application situation and the advice here have given me a wee push to get that done tomorrow.