Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of removing the requirement to renew disabled bus passes for those with lifelong conditions.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme provides free off-peak bus travel in England to people with eligible disabilities and those of State Pension age.

For security reasons, legislation sets out that the expiry date of concessionary passes must be no more than five years from the date of issue. Local authorities are responsible for administering disabled persons’ bus passes, including application and renewal arrangements. While there are currently no plans to remove renewal requirements nationally, the Department recognises that some disabilities are permanent while others may change over time. The Department is aware of a number of local authorities which operate automatic or light touch renewal processes for passholders whose disabilities have been assessed to be permanent.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what consideration her Department has given to extending free bus passes for young people on a permanent basis.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Summer Bus Fare Offer was designed as a targeted, time-limited measure to support families with the cost of travel during the summer holidays and concluded at the end of August as planned. The Government will consider any further schemes through its wider approach to supporting affordable bus travel.

Found: Clifton-Brown (Conservative; North Cotswolds) (Chair) Mr Clive Betts (Labour; Sheffield South East) Anna Dixon