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Original poster

Did you know this about the free bus travel?

196 replies

Rae36 · 02/01/2022 21:53

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.

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.

OP posts:
Namechangeforthis88 · 25/01/2022 08:11

@Whencountingto10isntenough local authorities are meant to be ensuring looked after children can access the scheme, I think if you have parental rights your application should be fine coming from you.

LatinforTelly · 25/01/2022 15:10

Just had DD1s rejected for the passport "security feature" (hologram?) not being visible despite her already having a Young Scot card for which I used the same passport picture. (Actually I can't remember whether the NEC card made me hold up passport to the computer - but the point is, they've already verified her identity!) Seems like they are deliberately slowing things down.

User48751490 · 25/01/2022 20:51

@LatinforTelly

Just had DD1s rejected for the passport "security feature" (hologram?) not being visible despite her already having a Young Scot card for which I used the same passport picture. (Actually I can't remember whether the NEC card made me hold up passport to the computer - but the point is, they've already verified her identity!) Seems like they are deliberately slowing things down.
Absolutely ludicrous. Definitely seems that the government don't want to give away these passes easily 😬
trulyconfuseddotcom · 26/01/2022 19:41

Bus pass arrived today - looks exactly like the one we are replacing so I hope it's got the right chip! It also has the same photo as her old one, so not sure why we needed to take a photo?? Let's see what happens on Jan 31st!

weebarra · 26/01/2022 21:18

Likewise - I see no difference between DS1's two cards!

OwlMother · 26/01/2022 21:39

I was coming on to ask about this very thing. Ds2 has a young Scot card issued in November which looks identical to the one we just received for dd1, when we applied for the bus pass version. We can't apply for a new young Scot card as dd2s passport is away being renewed and I hoped he might get away with using the old one.

But it sounds like the new ones have chips?

Also, reading the young Scot bus pass info it sounds like he should be able to apply for the new you d Scot card using the old one as Id,but we can't seem to manage to do this- presume we will just have to wait for the passport?

WhatWouldTheDoctorDo · 27/01/2022 07:42

It took us several attempts to use DS's old card to verify identity @OwlMother, I can't quite remember, but where we thought we had to put the id number wasn't quite right - I think we tried a few permutations of answers! It's a dreadful website.

User48751490 · 27/01/2022 11:55

@OwlMother

I was coming on to ask about this very thing. Ds2 has a young Scot card issued in November which looks identical to the one we just received for dd1, when we applied for the bus pass version. We can't apply for a new young Scot card as dd2s passport is away being renewed and I hoped he might get away with using the old one.

But it sounds like the new ones have chips?

Also, reading the young Scot bus pass info it sounds like he should be able to apply for the new you d Scot card using the old one as Id,but we can't seem to manage to do this- presume we will just have to wait for the passport?

You can use a birth certificate.
OwlMother · 28/01/2022 22:27

Thank you, will try again with the young Scot card. . I thought you could apply with the birth certificate then got stymied. Must try harder, just got defeated by the circuitous trying to use the young Scot card problem. Totally lost the will. Will start afresh tomorrow.

User48751490 · 29/01/2022 07:41

@OwlMother

Thank you, will try again with the young Scot card. . I thought you could apply with the birth certificate then got stymied. Must try harder, just got defeated by the circuitous trying to use the young Scot card problem. Totally lost the will. Will start afresh tomorrow.
Don't quote me on it though as we are awaiting a response from them as to whether we have been successful. We only had birth certificates, as passports are invalid for us, have not been away for several years.

Will post back when I know to let others know. It's just such a faff!!

WhatWouldTheDoctorDo · 31/01/2022 09:16

Got an email late last night to say application was rejected - despite using a fairly newly issued young Scot card to verify identity. FFS. Now have to go through the process again. There's a few more hours of my life I will never get back!

Seashore2018 · 31/01/2022 09:35

Submitted application on 5 Jan, got approved 15 Jan, card arrived in the mail a few days later, and it worked on the bus this morning. Smile

But friend submitted on 6 Jan, had the photo rejected (for what seemed like spurious reasons) on 15 Jan, resubmitted with a new photo on 15 Jan, and hasn't heard anything since Sad

If others add their data points, it might be helpful for working out when people's cards might arrive?

Sexx · 31/01/2022 10:07

I made 3 applications on 10th Jan, 1 approved and 2 rejected as my ID didn't show all security features (same ID used for all 3 applications!) on 25th Jan. Approved card received 28th Jan - same as PPs, it is identical to old one, including photo, only the card number is different. Ridiculous and frustrating process!

User48751490 · 31/01/2022 10:21

@WhatWouldTheDoctorDo

Got an email late last night to say application was rejected - despite using a fairly newly issued young Scot card to verify identity. FFS. Now have to go through the process again. There's a few more hours of my life I will never get back!
I am dreading this response too🙈 hopefully you get a new one soon after reapplying. Honestly, it's like they don't really want anyone to apply!
WhatWouldTheDoctorDo · 31/01/2022 14:19

I'm just hoping the school bus pass keeps working while we wait for one. If I was cynical I'd suspect that they emailed everyone last night that hadn't been done yet to say the application had been rejected... We applied around 14th January got the rejection email late on Sunday 30th.

WhatWouldTheDoctorDo · 31/01/2022 15:17

DH has just confirmed that the original application was rejected, according to email, because we'd used a birth certificate to verify our child's identity. We didn't, we used his existing young Scot card which was one of the options given.

theotherfossilsister · 31/01/2022 18:07

If you go into the library they verify a your documents for you and stamp and initial them. You have to book an appointment through the yourlibrary website if in Edinburgh but so worth it.

trulyconfuseddotcom · 31/01/2022 20:08

Did anyone's child use their new pass today, did it work? Mine forgot it started today so I don't know if it does, gah!

Sillydoggy · 31/01/2022 20:30

Mine was rejected after two weeks because they said the address didn't match the evidence of address. The system doesn't allow the exact form of address that the council use for our house. I've taken all the docs to the library instead so let's hope that works.

AngryApple · 01/02/2022 08:01

This is ridiculous! I applied two weeks ago for my two and I’ve heard nothing back.

Why do they even need a biometric scan of MY face? What purpose does that serve?

I also don’t have any bills or proof of address. Everything I have is paperless so I had to use a vet bill statement which probably means it’ll be rejected.

It’s such a farce and the date has already begun. I don’t know why obvious school kids can’t just get on the bus. Older kids should be able to use their young Scott’s cards.

Funny how they’re so big on environmental issues while still issuing plastic.

User48751490 · 01/02/2022 11:31

It's a complete swizz. Loads of other posters have found the process a breeze though. What's the secret?🤔

Pinkymcperky · 01/02/2022 15:07

I did DC2 app in the library around the 7th of Jan. Was told they didn’t think they could send it away until the 10th of Jan but would do so then. Have heard nothing back yet. Anyone in same boat?

WeAllHaveWings · 01/02/2022 21:10

@User48751490

It's a complete swizz. Loads of other posters have found the process a breeze though. What's the secret?🤔
It was really easy for us. Ds is 17 and has his old young scot card and provisional license.

It was a while ago now so dont remember fully, but the link told us to download the Yoti app. He scanned with his phone his young scot card and provisional, did a face scan and within 10 mins both were validated in the Yoti app. No problems scanning anything.

Then it took is to a mygovernment (or something like that) to create an account which we did and validated using yoti which was just a click.

Then it took us to apply for the card, he took a passport style phone on his phone, validated everything using yoti with one click and it all went through.

Took 20mins with no problems. Maybe it was the documents we had to prove identify made it easier.

Seashore2018 · 01/02/2022 21:51

@Seashore2018

Submitted application on 5 Jan, got approved 15 Jan, card arrived in the mail a few days later, and it worked on the bus this morning. Smile

But friend submitted on 6 Jan, had the photo rejected (for what seemed like spurious reasons) on 15 Jan, resubmitted with a new photo on 15 Jan, and hasn't heard anything since Sad

If others add their data points, it might be helpful for working out when people's cards might arrive?

Friend got her notice that the previously rejected application had been approved today. So, her timeline is:

6 Jan - submitted
15 Jan - rejected
15 Jan - resubmitted
1 Feb - approved

Seems like the later in Jan someone submits it, the longer it takes.

User48751490 · 02/02/2022 13:44

We applied on 24th January. Received email today to say "please allow 10 working days for your application to be processed."

What a ridiculous amount of time!