At present, disabled bus passes are generally valid between 9.30am and 11pm on weekdays, although individual councils can pay to extend those hours. The government says the change is intended to improve access to work, education, training and healthcare while reducing transport costs for disabled passengers.
National Rules Will Replace Different Local Arrangements
The reform will apply across England and remove differences between areas where councils currently offer varying levels of additional support. According to the Department for Transport and the Department for Work and Pensions, the change will be backed by £60 million from existing departmental budgets, with £40 million provided by the DWP and £20 million by the DfT.
The funding has no fixed end date, government sources told The Guardian, while ministers have described the policy as an ongoing commitment rather than a temporary measure. The seven-month period before implementation is intended to allow the change to pass through Parliament and give local transport authorities time to prepare.
Greater Manchester already introduced a similar arrangement in March, when time restrictions on disabled concessionary passes were permanently removed from the Bee Network. Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who introduced the policy while serving as mayor of Greater Manchester, said the national change would mean disabled passengers could use local bus services free of charge “24/7”.
“Buses are a lifeline for so many people – making it easier to get to work, education and healthcare,” Burnham said. “It’s simply not right that many disabled people cannot travel using their pass during certain times of the day.”
According to the BBC, about one million people could benefit from the nationwide change. Disabled passes can already be used throughout the day at weekends and on bank holidays, while some local authorities also allow unrestricted weekday travel.
Campaigners Say the Change Removes Barriers to Work and Daily Life
Disability organisations and transport campaigners welcomed the removal of the time limits, arguing that the current rules can restrict people who need to travel before 9.30am for employment, education or medical appointments.
James Taylor, executive director of strategy, impact and social change at Scope, said disabled people face additional everyday costs and that round-the-clock free travel would “put money back in people’s pockets and remove barriers to everyday life”.
Lydia Horbury, chief executive of Bus Users UK, said the national approach would replace what she described as a “postcode lottery” created by differing local rules. She said it could help disabled people reach work, reduce isolation, support bus use and reduce unnecessary reliance on cars.
According to the government announcement, eligibility for a disabled person’s bus pass remains based on seven statutory categories set out in the Transport Act 2000. These include people who are blind or partially sighted, profoundly or severely deaf, without speech, unable or virtually unable to walk because of a disability, unable to use both arms, living with a learning disability, or unable to obtain a driving licence on specified medical grounds.
Local authorities will continue to administer the scheme and assess applications against those existing criteria. The change affects when eligible passes can be used, rather than who qualifies for them.
