Disabled people in England will be able to use their free bus passes at any time of day from 1 April, the UK government announced, ending weekday restrictions that previously confined pass use to between 09:30 and 23:00.
England to extend free disabled bus travel to all hours from April
Disabled people in England will be able to use their free bus passes at any time of day from 1 April, the UK government announced, ending weekday restrictions that previously confined pass use to between 09:30 and 23:00.
The current rules allow disabled bus passes to be used at any time on weekends and bank holidays but not before 09:30 on weekdays, which the government said made it difficult for holders to travel to work or attend evening events.
The £60m scheme will be funded from the budgets of the Department for Transport and the Department for Work and Pensions, the government said. It is believed about one million people could benefit.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he had previously removed time-restricted travel for disabled pass holders in Greater Manchester, where buses operate under the Bee Network, when he served as mayor of the city. The national change mirrors that local policy.
As part of its stated focus on reducing the cost of living, the government has also introduced free bus travel for under-16s in August, a £2 cap on single bus fares that bus companies have been encouraged to opt into, cuts to business rates for pubs, and the removal of VAT from electricity bills.
Elsewhere in the UK, disabled people in Scotland and Wales are already entitled to free bus travel at any time. In Northern Ireland, blind people and disabled war veterans travel free, while other disabled pass holders pay half-fare.
- The source does not state how the figure of approximately one million potential beneficiaries was calculated or by whom.
- The source does not state whether the £60m annual cost is a one-year figure or covers a longer period.
- The source does not specify what proportion of the £60m will come from each of the two departments.
- The source does not state whether the policy applies to all bus operators in England or only those that accept the National Bus Pass.
- The source does not detail how the government will enforce or monitor uptake of the extended pass hours.