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Just the ticket: free national bus passes for the over 60s
As of April 1 England joined the rest of the United Kingdom by allowing free bus travel throughout the country to older residents
Everyone aged 60 or more who lives in England can now travel free on all local buses anywhere in the country, using a single National Bus Pass, writes Paul Lewis
In theory, as long as you use local buses, you could travel the length and breadth of England for nothing. You could journey 569 miles from Land’s End to Berwick upon Tweed without paying a penny. Take a flask and a tent, though, as you may be away for a while!
The scheme also extends to people under 60 who have certain disabilities, including those who are partially sighted or blind, severely deaf, or who find it very difficult to walk. It includes anyone who would have a driving licence refused on medical grounds unless that was due to persistent misuse of drugs or alcohol.
The new national bus pass gives free travel on local buses anywhere in England between 9.30am and 11pm, Monday to Friday and at any time on weekends or public holidays. To get one you apply to your local council or your local Passenger Executive or, in London, you can get one from the Post Office.
You will need a passport-size photo, proof of where you live and proof of your age – a new-style driving licence, a passport or a birth certificate. Even if you already have a free travel pass you will have to get it upgraded to be able to use it outside your own area from April 1. Arrangements differ across the country, so contact the authority that issues your pass to find out what you need to do.
You will be able to travel free in other towns and cities when you go shopping, when you visit friends or relatives or when you go on holiday. The cost of the new scheme – £250 million – is being paid by the Government.
In your own area you may be able to travel outside these hours or use other forms of public transport. These extra facilities are not normally available to people from other places – they will have to stick to buses and travel within the hours of the national scheme.
So, for example, while London residents over 60 can travel free on the buses, trams and the Tube from 9am and local rail services from 9.30am, people from outside London will only be able to use their pass on the buses – though to avoid confusion they will be able to use it from nine o’clock.
At present the new national scheme stops at the Scottish and Welsh borders – though there may be a local agreement to allow you to sneak to a town or village just the other side. But you cannot use your England pass in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland – or the other way round. So that free trip to John O’Groats or Anglesey is not yet possible.
And in Belfast you will have to pay on the buses. The Department for Transport told Saga Magazine, "The Government has had initial discussions with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the Concessionary Bus Travel Act contains powers to allow for mutual recognition of concessionary bus passes across the UK in the future." So it may happen but not just yet.
Although the scheme does not allow free travel on long-distance coaches, everyone aged 60 or more qualifies for half-price fares on National Express and some other coach services including Berrys and Baker Dolphin. Ask about routesixty fares when you book your journey. Some restrictions on journey times may apply.
Will it last?
Concessions used to be linked to getting the state pension, so women got them at 60 while men had to wait until 65. But cases in the European courts established that such age discrimination was not legal under European law. If there was a concession it had to be based on the same age for men and women.
To conform with the law and not disadvantage women, the qualifying age for concessions was generally brought down to 60, the age at which women could draw their state pension. However, from April 6, 2010 the pension age for women will rise.
A woman reaching 60 on that date will have to wait an extra month to qualify for her pension. And over the next 10 years the pension age for women will rise in stages to 65. The Government has not yet decided if other concessions will follow.
The Department for Work and Pensions told us, "Government departments, including the Department for Transport and Department of Health, are aware of the forthcoming increase of women’s state pension age. Departments are considering whether any further changes are required, though age-based concessions are not necessarily linked to the state pension age."
The power to increase the age as women's pension age rises already exists and it would be remarkable if men and women could still get free bus travel at 60 in, say, April 2012 when women will have to wait until 62 to draw their state pension. Expect announcements over the next year or so.
Rail
There are no national free rail fares in England for older people, but if you are 60 and take a train even once or twice a year it may be worth spending £24 to buy a Senior Rail Card. You will normally get a discount of a third off standard and first-class tickets.
Because this scheme is run by National Rail it contains highly complex restrictions. For example you cannot use it in the London and South East area during the morning rush hour and the time of that restriction depends on the service.
There are even exceptions to these exemptions! You cannot use the Rail Card with certain types of tickets, including season tickets, Apex, and other special promotions and – sadly! – Eurostar services to France (though Eurostar has its own ‘senior’ fares).
Rail fares are notoriously complex and even station staff or online booking agents often charge the wrong amount. So check it carefully. In some cities – including London – local residents over 60 can travel free on local train services. They also travel free on the Isle of Wight.
Disunited Kingdom
Scotland - From April 2006 everyone aged 60 and over who lives in Scotland has been free to travel on local buses and on scheduled long-distance coach services at any time of the day. The scheme is run by Transport Scotland and you need to apply for an Entitlement Card.
Wales - Welsh residents aged 60 or more have been able to travel free on all local buses since April 2002. The concession also applies to some long-distance services.
Free travel can be taken at any time of the day (or night) without restriction. Some of the services near the border also run a little way into England (and vice versa).
A pilot scheme which ends in May allows people with a bus pass to travel free on Conwy Valley and Heart of Wales railway services. That may be extended in the future.
Northern Ireland - Since April 2007 everyone aged 66 or more living on the island of Ireland – north and south of the border – has been able to travel on buses and trains free throughout both the Republic and Northern Ireland. For people living in the north the qualifying age is 65 and from some time this year it will be cut to 60.
* This article first appeared in the April 2008 edition of Saga Magazine. Click here to subscribe.
Useful links:
* www.transportdirect.info
* www.traveline.org.uk (0871 200 2233)
* Read David McKie's full article on page 94 of the April 2008 edition of Saga Magazine.
* To order a copy of Great British Bus Journeys (£8.99, Atlantic Books) by David McKie, with free p&p, see Saga Books on page 210 of the April edition of Saga Magazine.
