Almost 30,000 young people in South Lanarkshire are benefiting from free bus travel.
The figures were announced this week revealing how many locals under the age of 22 have signed up to the Scottish Government's Free Bus Travel Scheme since its introduction at the start of this year.
It came as a move to boost opportunities for young people in accessing education and services, while using a more sustainable method of transport.
In total, 28,143 eligible South Lanarkshire residents have signed up for the scheme, with many more expected to take advantage of the initiative launched by the SNP.
And MSP for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse Christina McKelvie, has welcomed the news and is pleased to see so many youngsters in the area benefiting from free bus travel.
Commenting Ms McKelvie told Lanarkshire Live : "It is brilliant that so many children and young people in South Lanarkshire are already benefiting from the SNP Scottish Government's free bus travel and I want to make sure that even more young people take advantage of this.
"This initiative is not only about helping our young people get about more often and more easily - whether that be local journeys or journeys right across Scotland - but it is also about embedding more sustainable travel behaviour from a young age which will support all of our efforts to tackle the climate emergency."
In figures released this week, the Scottish Government revealed that - as of September 12, 2022 - a total of 483,931 children and young people across Scotland are cardholders under the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme.
They also show that a total of 21,723,100 journeys have been made under the scheme since its introduction.
Ms McKelvie hopes more locals can be encouraged by the initiative and see it as away of managing finances during the current cost of living crisis.
She added: "It also is a key way of maintaining vital services in many areas, especially rural or outlying ones, and can provide help to people struggling with the cost of living crisis right now - by making travel affordable.”
Last year the Scottish Government confirmed the free bus travel scheme was to be extended to young people in Scotland from January 31, 2022, expecting to benefit around an additional 930,000 people across the country.
It came after research from Transport Scotland revealed that 70 per cent of young people would use the bus more often if it was free.
Local politicians have since been very vocal about the opportunity, particularly as it benefited more rural areas of Lanarkshire where people can access services at greater ease.
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