Overview
- The Department for Transport confirmed that concessionary bus pass eligibility outside London will continue to follow the State Pension age, delaying access as the threshold rises from 66 to 67 starting next April.
- Ministers say any expansion of the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme must weigh financial sustainability, noting the scheme costs about £700 million a year.
- MPs including Ian Byrne and Will Forster have urged wider concessions, from free travel for under‑22s to extending over‑60s’ access and allowing peak‑time use.
- The government directs campaigners to local authorities and bus operators for additional discounts, pointing to a £3 single‑fare cap extended to March 2027 and over £1 billion in bus funding for 2025–26, including £712 million for councils.
- Reports differ on the petition to extend over‑60s’ free travel, with one article citing just over 8,000 signatures and another reporting 100,000, which would qualify it for a parliamentary debate.