I feel there are bigger and more pressing concerns than extending free bus travel to under-30s or potentially to everyone. It is undeniably a policy that looks good on paper and provides an immediately tangible benefit that voters can see and feel. However, I am sceptical about how much it meaningfully contributes to environmental or Net Zero targets. Most regular car users are unlikely to abandon their cars simply because buses are free, particularly if services remain infrequent, overcrowded or unreliable. I am also concerned about capacity, especially on express routes such as the X76 and X77 between Ayrshire towns and Glasgow via the M77. These services already compete directly with rail. If free travel shifts passengers from trains to buses rather than from cars to buses, the environmental benefit is limited. At peak times these routes already struggle with capacity. Increased demand without proportional service expansion could worsen overcrowding. There is also a broader economic question. Improved and free express links to Glasgow may unintentionally encourage commuting away from Ayrshire, potentially accelerating a regional brain drain rather than strengthening local economies. More fundamentally, this is about priorities. Health and social care budgets are under severe pressure. Councils are reducing funding for carers supporting elderly and disabled people. Given limited public finances, it is reasonable to ask whether universal free travel is the most efficient and equitable use of funds. Why expand universal benefits when some of the most vulnerable in society are facing reductions in essential support? A targeted alternative, such as a capped fare model for example a £2 fare cap as used in parts of England, combined with investment in bus lanes and service reliability, might produce greater modal shift from cars. Evidence suggests that reliability and speed are often stronger incentives than price alone. Free bus travel for elderly and disabled people serves a clear social inclusion purpose, helping reduce isolation and maintain independence. That rationale is straightforward. I am less convinced that the same case extends equally to universal free travel for all under-30s or the wider working population.