The Department for Transport has confirmed that a change in State Pension age will delay free bus pass eligibility for older people in England. The State Pension age is gradually rising from 66 to 67, with the change having begun on April 6 and set to complete by April 2028.
This means that people whose 66th birthday falls during this transition period will have to wait longer to claim their State Pension and, in England, also to get their free bus pass. Eligibility for a free bus pass in England is directly linked to State Pension age.
Who is affected?
The next phase of the change is now underway, affecting anyone born between August 6, 1960, and September 5, 1960. According to the DWP timetable, pensioners turning 66 between these dates face an extra five-month wait before they can claim their State Pension and free bus pass.
For example, if you were born on August 6, 1960, you will become eligible to claim both your State Pension and free bus pass on January 6, 2026, when you are exactly 66 years and five months old.
London alternative
In London, you can apply for a 60+ London Oyster photocard, which allows free travel on bus, Tube, tram, DLR, London Overground, and most National Rail lines in the capital. You must live in a London borough to get it, and there is a £36 administration fee to set it up, plus an £18.50 annual address eligibility check fee. Once you reach State Pension age, you can switch to the free Older Person's Freedom Pass.
Official statement
A DfT spokesperson told The Express: “Eligibility for an older person’s bus pass under the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme is linked to State Pension age. This means eligibility will change in line with the increase in State Pension age from April. People born between 6 April 1960 and 5 March 1961 will qualify at 66 plus a specified number of months, depending on their date of birth. There is a tool to check the date people become eligible for a bus pass at Check your State Pension age - GOV.UK, by entering their date of birth.”
Further delays
Eligibility becomes further delayed the later in the year your 66th birthday falls, increasing by one month each time. Those turning 66 in the month from September 6 face an extra six-month wait, while those turning 66 in the month from October 6 face an extra seven-month wait, and so on until the age rise to 67 is complete.
Some people will be closer to age 66 when they can get their free bus pass, while others will be only a month or two away from their 67th birthday by the time they become eligible. Anyone with a birthday after March 5, 1961, will be eligible for a free bus in England from age 67.
The DWP said: "The Pensions Act 2014 brought the increase in the State Pension age from 66 to 67 forward by eight years. The State Pension age for men and women will now increase to 67 between 2026 and 2028. The Government also changed the way in which the increase in State Pension age is phased so that rather than reaching State Pension age on a specific date, people born between 6 April 1960 and 5 March 1961 will reach their State Pension age at 66 years and the specified number of months. For people born after 5 April 1969 but before 6 April 1977, under the Pensions Act 2007, State Pension age was already 67."
