Travel restrictions on disabled passengers will be lifted on both North East buses and the Tyne and Wear Metro from next year. Andy Burnham announced changes to concessionary bus passes earlier this week, with disabled passes currently only valid on weekdays from 9.30am to 11pm.
Prime Minister's Announcement on Bus Passes
The Prime Minister said it was “simply not right” that disabled people could not travel for free at all hours and that providing 24/7 free travel would help with the cost of living.
North East Mayor's Instructions for Metro and Ferry
North East mayor Kim McGuinness has now instructed local transport chiefs to mirror that offer on the Tyne and Wear Metro, as well as on the Shields Ferry, for those passengers who also have a Gold Card. Currently priced at £18 for Tyne and Wear residents and £24 for non-residents, the Gold Card provides a year of unlimited off-peak travel on the Metro and Ferry for customers who already hold a concessionary bus pass. Ms McGuinness has now ordered that, from next April, people with a disabled bus pass and a Gold Card be made eligible for free travel on the public transport systems at all times of the day.
The Labour mayor said: “Disabled passengers should be able to travel with the confidence that their journey on their local public transport will be free whenever and wherever they go.” She added: “We’re making it more affordable for more people to get to new opportunities, whether that's work, college or uni. It’s a simple step that will make a huge difference to people’s lives.”
Current Concession and Future Changes
Currently, Metro operator Nexus does offer a local concession whereby disabled people can get all day travel if they are in work or education more than 16 hours per week. However, passengers must present proof of their employment in order to obtain this – something which will no longer be required from next April.
Helen Mathews, commercial director at Nexus, said: “North East Mayor Kim McGuinness has announced that from April 2027, people with a disabled ENCTS (English national concessionary travel scheme ) card will now be able to travel all day on Metro and the Shields Ferry with a valid Gold Card. We are working with the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority (MSA) on the details of this now and we will provide further information to customers in advance of the start date next spring.”
Former Newcastle councillor Tom Gordon, now a Lib Dem MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, has been campaigning for almost two years to have the bus pass time limits lifted. He said this week: “Disabilities don’t start at 9 o’clock, neither should disabled bus passes and soon enough they won’t. This is a huge win for the disabled community.”
