By Steve Bargeton, political editor

MINISTERS PROMISED yesterday that Scotland’s flagship concessionary bus travel scheme for people over 60 will not be radically altered as a result of a continuing review.

More than one million Scots are entitled to free bus travel at any time across Scotland under the scheme.

Yesterday at Holyrood Scottish Labour MSPs launched a campaign under the title “You cannae shove your granny off a bus,” claiming that “free buses for pensioners is under threat,”

They quoted the Confederation of Passenger Transport saying, “Existing eligibility criteria will be reviewed and possibly tightened; the age of eligibility may rise.”

But at question time First Minister Alex Salmond accused Labour leader Wendy Alexander of “scaremongering” and said there would be no change on eligibility.

“The Scottish Government has no plans whatsoever to increase the qualifying age for concessionary fare on busses. We’ll not be considering this as part of the review of the scheme that around 1.1 million older and disabled people are currently benefiting,” he said.

“We’re delighted to make the review criteria public because that will be the most effective answer to the disgraceful scaremongering on this issue.

“Can we perhaps come to the conclusion that the disabled and pensioners of Scotland are going to be a lot safer on the bus with the SNP than they would have been with the Labour and Liberal parties?”

Ms Alexander challenged the First Minister to guarantee there would be no change to the time of day pensioners could travel, the distance they could travel, or the number of journeys that could be taken.

Mr Salmond did not provide guarantees, but repeated that eligibility would not be altered.

Later a spokesman for the First Minister said there were “no plans” to alter the arrangements on when people can travel, how far they can travel or journey numbers.

“Labour have got this thoroughly and absolutely wrong,” he said. “There are no plans to change distances, times or numbers.

“We will publish the review criteria and when we do it will completely demolish the scaremongering.”