Did you know this about the free bus travel?

[Rae36]

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.

@Mountaingoat12

Stupid question - if applying at a library do you need to take your kids or just their ID? Trying to find a time that suits my work and library opening times and school hours is tricky.

I would imagine just the ID.

And definitely no question is stupid when it comes to this bus pass scheme!

@LateOnTheBandwagon

The pink strip just means it has got A chip (the older ones pre-2014ish didn't have any chip and couldn' be used once transport went "digital"). The pink strip ones will still be accepted for other discounts, including Scotrail, but you will need a new one with a new chip to access the free bus travel.

That makes sense, thank you. It should be easier to find this stuff online!

My student son (21) has just got his new card. Can't have been too difficult as he didn't complain to me

He used the existing address on his YoungScot card as I had to forward it to him up in Aberdeen.

He wasn't going to bother with one as he prefers train travel and it's only valid for free travel until he turns 22, but I told he really should not to be silly

DS handed in his form to the school office and nothing was said about a photo so I am just assuming that the school will attach one from the school database for us🤞🤞

We did our second application on 1st feb (after first was turned down on spurious grounds) and got the email last night to say it has been accepted, so that's 18 days for approval. Apparently it will be dispatched in a day or two...

Asked the library yesterday to see what happened to the form that we completed there on the 7th of Jan. They phoned the relevant people this morning and called me back to say no record of DC on system. I can wait it out apparently or apply again. Think I’ll try online but had gone to the library because DH had tried twice last year and both times been turned down. Spent £10 on “proper” photos to make sure there would be no problem with them. Worried about DC being left alone on buses etc unless they are willing to pay repeated fares.

Dd has received hers.

We are still waiting on DS to receive his through his high school...

DS received his Young Scot card today 🎉

He handed in the form to school 17th February, so that was really fast.

My kids (12-15 category) had to go to the library in person so they could sign the forms.

So the forms filled in at the library have gone missing. Why am I not surprised?

Can i ask who is the email from so I can check my spam folder as I haven't heard anything back, just been a couple of weeks though.

Saw this today - couldn't they just have done this in the first place?

Aged 16-21 and already have a valid NEC or Young Scot NEC? You can now use the Transport Scot Pass Collect app to collect #FreeBusTravel onto your existing card!
Find out more: orlo.uk/Ktbqw

Well, a few days after the library had enquired for me DC’s card arrived in the post. Don’t know if the call meant someone looked for it (not sure how if it was sitting in a pile of forms) or it’s just coincidence but DC very pleased.

Ds used his last weekend to come to Glasgow from Aberdeen. It cost him a £ for the booking, so it has already saved him a lot of money, even if he can only use it for just over 7 months

Just as well I nagged him to update his card even when he said he wasn't going to bother

Unbelievable @trulyconfuseddotcom

They would have had thousands fewer applications to deal with.

I've still heard nothing. I've ordered my passport since then and it's already on its way!

Did my youngest DCs at the library. Quick and easy and arrived a week later.

Daily harassing my eldest to apply for his. I’ll happily do it for him but I need a photo first Should take but moments, you’d think anyway! Bloody teenagers.

So my emails came today, one saying I had been accepted, and one rejected - I can't go back in and try to reupload the document they want (which I know I included the first time) as neither email gives me any info about which child has been accepted and which rejected! Will have to wait for a card to arrive and then I'll know.

For those that have received the bus pass for their kid, please, I beseech you, take a pic of it or make a note of its unique number. I did not do this and now my son has lost the card. Looks like without the number I'll have to do the whole application process, via the library and with teacher co-signing and the whole rigmarole again. I'll certainly be making a note of the number on the replacement card when we eventually get it and my son will be learning the hard way about taking care of things as he eats into his pocket money having to pay a bus fare or walk to school every day till the new card arrives.