Overview
- The government announced that time limits on concessionary disabled bus passes will be lifted so eligible holders can travel free at any time from 1 April 2027.
- The change is backed by £60 million drawn from existing departmental budgets, with £40 million from the Department for Work and Pensions and £20 million from the Department for Transport.
- Eligibility remains set by the Transport Act 2000, which defines seven statutory disability categories, and local authorities will continue to administer the scheme and assess applications.
- Disability charities welcomed the move as removing a message that disabled people ‘can’t or shouldn’t work’ and said it will ease cost pressures, while ministers say it ends a postcode lottery created by patchy local extensions.
- The policy forms part of a wider transport affordability package that includes a £2 bus fare cap and temporary free travel for under‑16s, but commentators and opposition figures have flagged questions about where departmental budgets will be reprioritised and how local rollout will be managed.