Categories of coverage

The categories of passenger entitled to fare concessions vary widely in international practice. Free carriage of babies is near universal, and has little commercial impact on operators. All other concessions may result in losses against potential revenues (though the travel might not have been made without the concession), and require compensation accordingly.

Selection of qualifying categories is essentially a political process, but the following groups are typically included: pensioners; students; scholars; disabled; veterans; police; and the military. Benefits are often also extended to the families of employees of a transport undertaking, and those who have retired from it.