Military veterans may be given free bus passes

INJURED forces veterans might receive free bus travel across Scotland as part a review of the scheme.

Some 20,000 of the country's 600,000 former services personnel may now be eligible – while ministers also confirmed yesterday that there would be no changes to the existing free bus travel enjoyed by 1.1 million over-60s and disabled people.

Injured veterans might be added to the two-year-old scheme from October 2009 if the review, to be completed by the end of this year, favours it. The findings will be announced next spring.

The proposal is among a number of measures to support injured veterans being considered by the Scottish Government in a separate review. They also include other ways of improving access to public transport, and priority for specially adapted housing.

Ministers announced last week that veterans injured in combat would receive state-of-the-art prosthetic limbs.

They will also receive priority for shared equity schemes – joint mortgages for first-time buyers.

John Swinney, the finance secretary, yesterday dismissed opposition claims that restrictions would be added to the free bus scheme.

He said: "Older and disabled people will continue to be able to travel for free throughout Scotland – at any time, on any bus routes, for any number of journeys. It is important for the sake of vulnerable citizens across Scotland that baseless claims to the contrary are corrected."

Labour claimed last month that £10 million was being removed from the concessionary fares budget after ministers published figures for the next three years.

However, the government said the difference was because of a lower-than- expected take-up of a scheme launched last year for 16- to 18-year-olds, which gives them a third off bus and rail fares.

Labour yesterday claimed victory, saying that Alex Salmond, the First Minister, had previously refused to guarantee that no restrictions would be introduced. But the SNP accused Labour of "offering nothing but scare stories".