Free Public Transport Pilot Cuts Car Use Across Glasgow 2026

Key Points

• Almost 1,000 Glasgow residents aged between 22 and 59 participated in a six-week free public transport pilot, plus an additional bonus week for those who completed evaluation tasks.
• Participants logged a total of 51,416 journeys using a free ZoneCard, granting unlimited travel across buses, ScotRail trains, and the Glasgow Subway.
• Among regular drivers in the general public group, 45% switched the majority of their journeys to public transport, alongside 19% of car-using participants in the Pathfinder/NHS group.
• By the conclusion of the trial, 65% of general public participants and 87% of Pathfinder/NHS participants reported a reduction in some or all of their travel barriers.
• Free travel directly supported employment and education, with 44 participants starting or preparing to start a job, and 70 taking active steps toward work, education, or training.
• Despite high satisfaction regarding cost savings, participants still reported challenges with service availability, reliability, coverage, accessibility, and disruption caused by the Union Street fire.
• A formal report will be presented to Glasgow City Council’s Environment, Housing, Transport and Regeneration Committee on 17 November 2026, recommending that the findings be shared with the Scottish Government.

Glasgow (Glasgow Express) November 12, 2026 – A newly released evaluation report has revealed that Glasgow’s Free Public Transport Pilot enabled residents to reach employment and healthcare, reduced daily household travel expenses, and encouraged habitual motorists to leave their cars at home.

How Many Journeys Were Taken During the Glasgow Free Transport Trial?

Launched in February and widely regarded as the largest initiative of its kind in the United Kingdom, the pilot provided nearly 1,000 Glasgow residents aged 22 to 59 with a complimentary ZoneCard. This smartcard granted unlimited travel across local bus networks, ScotRail train services, and the Glasgow Subway, covering both Glasgow and parts of neighbouring council areas. Across the primary six-week trial period—and an additional bonus week awarded to participants who completed required evaluation activities—individuals recorded a combined total of 51,416 journeys.

The cohort was divided equally into two distinct categories. Half of the participants comprised a general public group designed to broadly reflect Glasgow’s wider demographic profile. The remaining half formed the Pathfinder/NHS group, recruited via community organisations and NHS partners to specifically include residents experiencing heightened financial and practical obstacles to mobility. Across both segments, recruitment prioritised individuals facing social and economic disadvantage as well as those heavily reliant on private vehicles.

Did Free Public Transport Encourage Drivers to Leave Their Cars Behind?

According to the official report issued by Glasgow City Council, removing ticket fares prompted a notable modal shift away from private vehicles. Within the general public group, 45% of participants who previously relied primarily on cars reported transferring most of their journeys to public transport during the trial. Similarly, within the Pathfinder/NHS cohort—where car and van ownership was inherently lower—19% of regular motorists also reported switching to public transit.

Beyond reducing car dependency, the single-card system eliminated the financial and logistical friction of paying separate fares across different transport operators. By the end of the pilot, 65% of general public participants and 87% of those in the Pathfinder/NHS group stated that some or all of their existing travel barriers had diminished.

How Did the Free ZoneCard Impact Employment, Healthcare, and Daily Life?

The evaluation identified six primary outcomes demonstrating how fare-free travel affected participants’ daily routines and wellbeing:

• More journeys and fewer missed opportunities: Residents were more willing and able to use public transit for work, medical appointments, shopping, caring duties, education, leisure, and social visits, undertaking trips they would previously have delayed or foregone due to expense.
• Reaching work, training, and essential services: Complimentary travel enabled participants to attend job interviews, accept additional work shifts, and enrol in training programmes. Among those citing improved employment access, 44 participants confirmed they had either started a new job or were scheduled to begin one, while a further 70 reported taking concrete steps toward employment, education, or vocational training.
• Greater independence and connection: Simplified access to healthcare facilities and social activities supported mental and physical wellbeing while reducing social isolation, offering greater personal autonomy to those previously restricted by ticket prices.
• Rediscovering Glasgow: Participants explored parts of the city and surrounding regions previously out of reach, strengthening their sense of community belonging and allowing more frequent visits with family and friends.

As reported by Glasgow City Council, an unnamed participant from the general public group stated:

“The cost-saving has been incredible. It’s encouraged me to take public transport instead of driving my car which has saved me time and money.”

Similarly, as detailed in the Glasgow City Council report, a participant from the Pathfinder/NHS group stated:

“The Zonecard has been very helpful and convenient for commuting to job interviews and attending my course. I’ve also used it to explore new parts of the city and surrounding areas that I hadn’t visited before.”

What Challenges Did Participants Face Despite Free Fares?

While ticket costs were identified as the primary barrier to travel prior to the February launch, the report noted that fare-free access did not resolve every operational hurdle within the transport network. Participants continued to experience difficulties regarding service availability, reliability, geographical coverage, and physical accessibility. Furthermore, travel across the city was impacted during the trial period by disruptions stemming from the Union Street fire. The authors of the report noted that these findings highlight the necessity of pairing affordable fares with reliable, accessible, and well-connected transport infrastructure.

What Have Council and NHS Leaders Said About the Findings?

Local government officials and health service leaders highlighted the broader implications of the trial for public health, economic inclusion, and climate targets.

As reported by Glasgow City Council, Cllr Angus Millar, Convener for Transport and Climate, stated:

“This pilot shows the difference accessible and affordable transport can make to everyday life – helping people get to work, attend appointments, stay connected and have more money left for essentials. It also saw strong results in supporting people to shift their travel habits, including through encouraging public transport use among people who regularly travelled by car.”

Continuing his remarks in the Glasgow City Council release, Cllr Angus Millar added:

“Advocating for more affordable and accessible public transport is a key priority of the council. Coming on the back of the successful rollout of the Scottish Government’s £2 bus fare cap, the findings of this study can help inform a wider national conversation about the potential, benefits and costs of moving towards free public transport provision on a larger scale. Above all, the pilot highlights how removing barriers to accessing public transport can help more people share in the opportunities Glasgow offers, while helping to reduce inequalities and transport emissions, and I hope that this study can help shape future public transport policy.”

Health service partners echoed these observations regarding patient access. As reported by Glasgow City Council, Gillian Harvey, Health Improvement Lead for Acute at NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, who manages Family Support Services within Glasgow’s Royal Hospital for Children, stated:

“Travel costs can be a real barrier to accessing healthcare. This pilot showed how partners across transport, local government, communities and health services can work together to remove barriers, reduce inequalities and make it easier for patients and families to access the care they need.”

Meanwhile, as documented by Glasgow City Council, Bailie Christy Mearns of Glasgow City Council stated:

“This 6-week pilot had a transformational impact on people’s lives, and I hope it paves the way for securing further progress on public transport affordability and integration for all, every week of the year. Addressing the cost of public transport is necessary to help those struggling with the increasing cost of living and to drastically lower climate emissions. With universal free access, we can significantly increase the number of journeys being taken by public transport, improving people’s health and opportunities, as well as helping to protect our planet.”

Background

The Free Public Transport Pilot was developed to fulfil specific strategic commitments outlined within Glasgow City Council’s existing transport and climate strategies, which mandated the exploration of fare-free public transit models. Prior to this local trial, Scotland had already implemented the Scottish Government’s £2 bus fare cap, creating a broader policy environment focused on reducing travel expenses. Because Glasgow’s pilot was constrained in both scale and duration, the council noted that its evaluation cannot definitively establish the long-term impacts of a permanent, citywide scheme, nor could the local authority independently fund a universal rollout. Consequently, a formal report will go before the Environment, Housing, Transport and Regeneration Committee on 17 November 2026, recommending that the City Convener for Transport and Climate formally write to the Scottish Government to share the trial’s outcomes. Further analysis of participants’ travel diaries will also be conducted to examine travel patterns in greater detail.

Prediction: How Could This Development Affect Glasgow Residents and Commuters?

Based on the evidence compiled in the evaluation report, the outcomes of this pilot are poised to directly influence future transport policy discussions between Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Government, potentially shaping fare structures and multi-modal ticketing for commuters, low-income households, and patients across the region. For working-age residents aged 22 to 59—who currently fall outside existing national free travel schemes for under-22s and over-60s—any resulting expansion of integrated, low-cost, or fare-free ZoneCard initiatives could lower household expenditure and broaden access to employment and training opportunities. Simultaneously, for NHS patients and families facing socioeconomic barriers, closer collaboration between health boards and transport operators could reduce missed medical appointments. However, the report’s findings indicate that for commuters and regular drivers to permanently abandon private car use in favour of public transit, any future fare reductions will need to be accompanied by improvements in service frequency, reliability, and network coverage.