Eligible disabled people across England will get free bus travel all day, every day from April 2027. Below is the government’s press release on this story.
Details
From 1 April 2027, people who hold a disabled bus pass can travel on buses for free, no matter the time of day. This extra support will help to open up access to workplaces, education, training, and other opportunities as well as giving people breathing space on the cost of living and putting money back in people’s pockets.
Currently, disabled bus passes are only valid for travel between 9.30am and 11pm during weekdays, unless local authorities choose to fund an extension. For example, Greater Manchester Combined Authority permanently lifted the time restrictions from March this year.
Backed by £60 million of funding, the Government is now stepping in to remove these time restrictions across the whole of England, so that from next year, disabled bus pass holders can always travel for free on the most popular form of public transport, regardless of their postcode.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said:
Buses are a lifeline for so many people – making it easier to get to work, education and healthcare. It’s simply not right that many disabled people cannot travel using their pass during certain times of the day. So we’re fixing that. Disabled people will now have unlimited free bus travel 24/7.
I did it before in Greater Manchester and I’m proud to do it now for the whole country. This is part of our ongoing action to bring back hope and give people some much needed breathing space on the cost of living.
Additional information:
The £60 million funding comes from existing Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Department for Transport (DfT) budgets. It is made up of a £40 million contribution from DWP, and a £20 million contribution from DfT.
Eligibility for a disabled person’s bus pass is set out in the Transport Act 2000, which defines seven statutory categories of disability.
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;
- without arms, or unable to use both arms;
- people with a learning disability;
- people who would be refused a driving licence on medical grounds (other than because of drug or alcohol misuse).
Local authorities are responsible for administering the scheme and for assessing applications against these statutory criteria.
