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The code will come with guidance. I will ask Eilidh McCabe to confirm whether that is right.

No. There would not be a further vote on the principle of allowing the concessionary cards to be removed. The code of conduct would come back to the committee for it to comment on and feed into so that we have as broad a range of views—from the committee and from the people who have written to us—as possible. That is to make sure that the code covers everything that we need it to cover. I will provide a copy of the current draft code for the committee to feed comments into it. We will take on board the new stuff that we have heard today, and that will help us to put together a final code of conduct that should then be put in place.

The reason why it is taking so long to get the code of conduct is precisely so that we look at all the issues that have been raised by the committee today. You are absolutely correct: it is vital that we get it right. The process must have fairness, equity and parameters, and it must understand context, as Bob Doris was saying. I completely take on board all those things. The principle of being able to remove a pass was the primary reason for laying the SSI at this stage, so that we could get the process moving and ensure that we did not run out of parliamentary time to get it done. I hope that the committee has enough confidence that the work that you are all asking about is being undertaken and that it will be done diligently by the team of officials who are working on it.

As I said earlier, we are looking at potential visible safety measures, including travel safety officers—we can call them that just now—which some private operators already have.

On how we will publicise it, there are a number of routes for how that will be done. A lot of it will be through social media, if it is targeted at young people, but there will be other things that we can do to ensure that people understand it.

Passing the SSI is a signal that the kind of behaviour that you rightly talk about as unacceptable will be tackled. All of this will build up the momentum to make sure that people understand that, with a bus pass, there is a responsibility as well as a right. Therefore, the code of conduct has to be clear and understood by people.

They would reapply to get their bus pass back.

My understanding is that that was not considered. If the entitlement is removed, the entitlement is removed completely.

No—

If someone has had their card removed, they will have gone through a process to ensure that that was appropriate. The scheme was never about giving free travel to children to get to school—we were absolutely clear about that. If there is a requirement for the local authority to provide that person’s travel to school and it has chosen to let pupils use the concessionary travel scheme instead, that is a local authority issue. It is not an issue for the scheme.

Thank you very much, convener. I also thank the committee very much for inviting me to discuss the draft order.

As the committee is aware, free bus travel has been a truly transformative policy, helping to reduce child poverty, grow the economy and tackle the climate emergency. In December of last year alone, more than 15 million journeys were undertaken by those eligible for free bus travel, and the vast majority of those journeys were undertaken by individuals who exercised their entitlement to free bus travel responsibly.

Unfortunately, a small minority do not travel responsibly, and their behaviour, whether it be abuse towards drivers, intimidation of passengers or vandalism, is unacceptable, making others feel unsafe and eroding confidence in public transport. This new piece of legislation will allow concessionary travel to be suspended for or withdrawn from anyone who breaches the forthcoming code of conduct. The code will set out appropriate behaviour for those who travel on the bus network using their entitlement to free bus travel, and it, and the accompanying procedures, will apply to all users of the national concessionary travel schemes, regardless of age.

We are taking a phased approach to implementation. This will not be an overnight change, but it is an important step forward. The legislation sets out the framework and, once put in place, it will send a clear message that antisocial behaviour will not be tolerated.

For this change to our free bus travel schemes to be successful, on-going and open engagement with stakeholders in the policy development process is essential. I am grateful to the many organisations that have been working, and which continue to work, with officials to ensure that the implementation of the new legislation will result in an effective and equitable process. Detailed reporting and suspension procedures, as well as the code itself, will be shared with the committee in due course.

The order is one of a range of measures that we are introducing to set out our expectations with regard to safe and responsible behaviour on Scotland’s public transport network. We are developing a multifaceted approach to encourage positive behaviour on the bus network, including by developing educational materials, outlining responsible behaviour on buses and exploring additional visible safety measures, such as the potential for travel safety officers. They will provide a multipronged approach to ensure the safety of drivers and passengers on buses.

The initiatives complement the Scottish Government’s wider approach to tackling antisocial behaviour, which includes the prevention and early intervention approaches taken in the violence prevention framework and the cashback for communities programme, as well as the package of measures that we are putting in place to ensure responsible behaviour on Scotland’s rail network. Our aim in introducing the legislation is to protect a benefit that helps tackle poverty. By making buses safer and more welcoming, we will ensure that those who rely on free travel can use them with confidence.

I commend the order to the committee, and I am happy to take questions on it.

Is that in the code at this point, Carole?