Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to remove the off-peak travel limit on over-60 bus passes to allow elderly people who have been asked to self isolate due to covid-19 access supermarkets during the morning.

We are acutely aware of the issues around the time restrictions of the current concessionary travel scheme and are considering next steps as a matter of urgency.

The Government is very pleased to see that some local authorities and operators have already agreed to provide free morning travel to concessionary pass holders due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

In addition, free or discounted travel before 9.30am is the most commonly offered discretionary concession, with 68 of the 89 Travel Concession Authorities in England outside London (predominantly local authorities) already offering free or discounted morning travel to older person’s and/or disabled person’s concessionary pass holders.