The Scottish Government is developing proposals to remove free bus passes from young people under 22 who are found guilty of repeated criminal or antisocial behaviour on public transport, following mounting concerns over safety and a series of high-profile incidents-including the fatal assault of a bus driver in Elgin earlier this year.
The issue has gained urgency after the death of Keith Rollinson, a 58-year-old bus driver who died following a brutal attack at Elgin Bus Station in February 2024. The perpetrator, a 15-year-old boy at the time, had previously assaulted another driver just weeks before the fatal incident. Despite his conviction for culpable homicide and a sentence of four years and four months in detention, the teenager will be eligible for a free bus pass upon release- a fact that has outraged Mr. Rollinson’s widow, Susan Rollinson.
“The boy who killed my husband will be entitled to a free bus pass when he is released, even though he attacked and killed a bus driver and previously attacked another one. I need the SNP to listen to me, listen to the public. Something needs to change,” Mrs. Rollinson told The Daily Mail.
First Minister John Swinney confirmed this week that work is underway to develop a system to strip under-22s of their free bus travel entitlement following repeated bad behaviour.
“Work is under way to develop this and if we were to take the step there would be the likelihood of secondary legislation being required to enable a mechanism to be put in place to enable that to be the case. So these issues are being considered by the Government actively,” Swinney told Parliament.
Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop echoed this commitment, stating: “While much of the focus is on young people, I must stress that it is a very small minority who misuse the young persons’ free bus travel scheme. We are developing a behaviour code with the intention it will cover all concessionary bus passengers.”
Sarah Boyd, managing director of Lothian Buses, described “horrendous” experiences faced by drivers and passengers, but emphasised that the vast majority of young people use the scheme responsibly.
“It’s an incredible scheme. It’s enabled some of the most superb travel patterns now in our young people. But if you’re involved in an incident on the bus, if you’re the driver, if you’re the victim of something, if you’re other passengers, some of the experiences and stories are horrendous. You asked about repeat offenders, I think absolutely [the pass should be removed]. It is a minority but I don’t think we should underestimate the impact it has,” Boyd told Parliament.
The proposals have received cross-party attention. Labour MSP Claire Baker said during a recent debate:
“We must see progress on other measures to tackle antisocial behaviour on and around public transport… In extreme cases, there should be scope to remove the privilege permanently.”
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has also called for repeat violent offenders to have their passes withdrawn, stating:
“Under 22s that are found to have repeatedly acted violently on buses should have their free bus pass taken from them. This should be obvious-rights should come with responsibilities, and it’s shameful that there’s currently no mechanism to withdraw a free bus pass from someone who has been abusing it-that needs to change.”
The Scottish Government is expected to report back on the legal and practical mechanisms for implementing these changes by the end of the year. A working group is examining how to ensure only those who repeatedly engage in criminal or antisocial behaviour will lose their entitlement, while protecting the vast majority of responsible young travellers.
