A public petition is calling on the UK Government to extend the free bus pass scheme to include unpaid carers who assist disabled individuals. The proposal highlights a specific gap in the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme, focusing on cases where eligible disabled passengers require a companion to make use of public transport.
Current regulations offer travel support to certain groups, but do not cover the travel costs of those providing essential daily care. The petition raises questions about the scope of existing benefits and whether they reflect the real needs of those who depend on others to move around safely and independently
Why The Current Scheme Leaves Some Behind
Under the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme, people who reach the state pension age in England—which is currently 66—are entitled to a free bus pass for local bus journeys. The scheme also includes individuals with specific types of disabilities. These include:
- Being blind or partially sighted
- Being profoundly or severely deaf
- Being without speech
- Having a physical disability or injury that results in a substantial and long-term adverse effect on walking
- Having no arms or long-term loss of use of both arms
- Living with a learning disability (significant impairment of intelligence and social functioning)
- Meeting the criteria that would lead to refusal of a driving licence under the Road Traffic Act 1988, section 92, due to physical fitness
The free bus pass allows travel between 9:30am and 11:00pm on weekdays, and throughout the day on weekends and bank holidays.
But campaigners are pointing out a critical loophole: the scheme doesn’t support the people who help disabled passengers use the service. The petition reads:
“There are disabled people who cannot travel without their carers and we think carers should be able to travel with them for free.”
“Some disabled people who rely on carers are currently paying for their carer’s bus fare which means that their travel is not wholly free… In our view, disabled people who rely on carers are not travelling for free if they have to pay for their carers. We want carers of disabled people who have a bus pass for free travel, to have free carer bus passes too.”
This gap in the system means that many individuals who require assistance are still effectively paying to travel, even if their own fare is technically waived. Carers—often family members or close friends—accompany them not out of choice but necessity. In those cases, the system fails to provide true free access, according to reporting from Devon Live, which highlights the growing pressure to recognise the role of carers in transport accessibility.
The Real Financial Cost Of Incomplete Access
While the Government has introduced a cap of £3 per bus fare, regular use adds up quickly. A carer who accompanies a disabled person on two bus journeys per day, five days a week, could be spending £30 per week—which equals £1,560 per year.
That kind of expense is especially burdensome for the UK’s 6.5 million unpaid carers, many of whom rely on state support or have limited incomes due to their caring responsibilities. For them, a free bus pass would not only be a practical financial support, but also a recognition of their essential role in the mobility and independence of disabled people.
Beyond the economic argument, there’s a social one. For people with limited mobility or cognitive challenges, a short bus trip could be the only way to access community services, healthcare, or even just enjoy a social outing. The absence of a carer often makes such outings impossible, so if carers must pay to accompany them, it creates a disincentive to go out at all.
