Free Bus Travel (Concessionary Travel) Scheme Review 2022

Overview

Warwickshire County Council (WCC) operates the England National Concessionary Travel Scheme on behalf of central government for Warwickshire residents.  This provides free off-peak bus travel, which is between 9:30am to 11pm on weekdays, all day at weekends and on public holidays across England for eligible residents. 

An eligible resident is a resident of Warwickshire who qualifies because of their age (over 66 years) or because they have a specified disability. The eligibility criteria are set by central government, and we have no ability to change these.

For those Warwickshire residents who are not yet eligible because of their age, but who have a qualifying disability, we issue a Disabled Person's Pass. Once a Disabled Person's Pass holder reaches the eligible age, they will be issued with an Older Person's Pass and will no longer need to provide evidence of their disability. The entitlement to travel is currently the same with both types of pass.

Residents need to apply to WCC for a pass, as these are not issued automatically. Existing passholders will also need to request a renewal of their pass when it expires, as this will not be sent out automatically. 

Free travel is also provided for WCC passholders on local journeys (starting in Warwickshire) from 9:00am on weekdays, and until midnight on weekdays. The additional travel time is funded by WCC.

The service was last reviewed in 2017 and so we are undertaking a new survey to find out how our customers use their bus passes and to help us to decide whether we should consider changing the current discretionary elements of the scheme. 

Reviews carried out in 2010, 2012 and 2017 led to a 9am start time being retained across the county as it offered the greatest benefit to residents. 

Update

This survey has now closed. Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts with us. We are completing our analysis and will update this page shortly. Please check back for updates.