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8h ago

Disabled Claimants and Pensioners Retain Free Bus Passes After PIP Overhaul

Local councils must weigh discretionary use of a £955m funding package to cut the bus-pass age to 60

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Overview

  • Enhanced mobility PIP recipients continue to qualify for free off-peak travel under the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme even if they no longer receive benefit payments.
  • Higher-rate Disability Living Allowance claimants, Blue Badge holders, carers and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme beneficiaries also remain eligible for concessionary bus passes.
  • State pensioners aged 66 and over retain statutory entitlement to free bus passes across England excluding London.
  • The ENCTS carries an annual cost of about £700 million and is supported by a £955 million funding package for 2025–26 to enable additional local concessions.
  • Advocacy groups are urging ministers and councils to reduce the free bus-pass age from 66 to 60 to align with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.