Disabled people in England will be able to use the bus for free at all hours from next year, the government has announced. The change, which takes effect on April 1, extends the current free travel window for disabled bus pass holders, who can now travel for free on weekdays between 9:30am and 11pm, or at any time on weekends and bank holidays.
Cost-of-living measure
The move is designed to ease cost-of-living pressures and is expected to benefit about one million people. The £60 million scheme will be funded by £40 million from the Department for Work and Pensions and £20 million from the Department for Transport, the government said.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has introduced several measures to tackle rising costs since taking office last month, including cutting business rates for pubs, capping bus fares at £2, and removing VAT from electricity bills.
Reactions from charities and politicians
Disability charity Scope said the move would "remove barriers to everyday life", while Transport for All, a disabled-led charity, called it a "real win for disabled people" and "very welcome news". James Barber, from Transport for All, said it would help end "the confusing and unjust postcode lottery caused by different rules in different areas".
Mr Burnham said: "Buses are a lifeline for so many people – making it easier to get to work, education and healthcare. It’s simply not right that many disabled people cannot travel using their pass during certain times of the day. So we’re fixing that. Disabled people will now have unlimited free bus travel 24/7. I did it before in Greater Manchester and I’m proud to do it now for the whole country. This is part of our ongoing action to bring back hope and give people some much-needed breathing space on the cost of living."
Work and Pensions minister Lilian Greenwood MP added that the change was an "indefinite commitment" rather than a short-term policy, and that the government would look at how to fund it in following years during spending reviews.
Political response
Liberal Democrat MP Tom Gordon, a prominent advocate for the policy, called it a "huge win for the disabled community". He said: "Disabilities don’t start at 9 o’clock, neither should disabled bus passes and soon enough they won’t."
However, a Conservative Party spokesman said: "This is simply the shuffling around of existing departmental budgets. Andy Burnham needs to come clean about how he is going to fund this growing list of policies."
