Concessionary travel

Allerdale Borough Council have made changes to its Concessionary Travel Scheme applying from April 2010.

Free bus travel will continue for eligible residents but only the statutory national scheme will apply.

Free bus travel off peak only: (between 9.30am and 11pm Monday to Friday, or all day on Bank Holidays and weekends).

Allerdale will still continue to allow companion travel across Cumbria when accompanying disabled passengers off peak only.

Additional scheme enhancements previously offered will cease from April 2010. No alternative concessions will be available including Senior Rail Cards and National Travel Tokens.

Changes to the age of eligibility

Nationally, the Department for Transport has announced changes to the age of eligibility for concessionary bus travel in line with the changes that are being made to the state pension age from April 2010.

The age of eligibility for the state pension is scheduled to rise by two months every one month. This means the earliest date on which a person can obtain a bus pass will depend on which month they were born in and will not fall on their 60^th birthday.

The calculation table below shows a snapshot of when a person will become eligible for their concessionary bus pass.

Dates of Eligibility for Concessionary Bus Passes

You can also use the following link to find out when you become eligible - just add your date of birth details and the result will show you when you are eligible to apply for your bus pass.  http://pensions.direct.gov.uk/en/state-pension-age-calculator/home.asp

The changes to the age of eligibility will not impact on anyone already in possession of a bus pass.

The changes will only affect those due to turn 60 on or after 6th April 2010.

For the purpose of concessionary travel this means tying the age of eligibility for the bus pass to the pensionable age for women. As the pensionable age for women gradually increases from 60 to 65 over the ten-year period from 2010 to 2020 so too will the age of eligibility for the concessionary bus pass increase for both men and women.

Currently both men and women become eligible for a free bus pass at the age of 60. These plans mean that by 2020 the age of eligibility will increase to 65. Until pensionable age is equalised between the sexes in 2020, men will continue to become eligible for a concessionary bus pass when they reach the pensionable age of a woman born on the same day.

The purpose of the concession is to provide greater freedom and independence to older people in their retirement. Until 2002 eligibility was linked to the state pension age, with women becoming eligible at 60 and men at 65. In 2002, the age of eligibility was equalised at 60 for both men and women. The Government considers this is the fair thing to do and that it will further assist in securing the long term financial sustainability of this generous and popular scheme.

Scheme Reminder:

If you are of eligible age or have certain disabilities, you are entitled to free off-peak bus travel on local bus services – anywhere in England.

How do residents of Allerdale apply for concessionary travel?

If you are eligible for a bus pass and have not had one before, you need to:

• Complete an application form
  • your age (pension book, birth certificate, passport)
  • your residential address (Council Tax bill, ‘phone or gas bill)
  • if you are applying for a disabled pass we also need documentary evidence of your registered disability (allowance payments Books or written documentation from DSS confirming  disability.
  • Letters of confirmation of eligibility can be supplied on receipt of a letter from an NHS Representative.   

You can collect a form from any of our customer service centres or telephone for help: 01900 702930

Your form will be sent away to be processed and a bus pass posted out to you directly within a few days.

How your travel concessions may be used

• Registered local bus services operated by Stagecoach or other operators across Cumbria will accept your NoWcard.
• Registered local bus services across England will accept your NoWcard.

When and where can I collect an application form and apply for a bus pass?

Council offices opening hours:

Please visit the council offices page for contact details and addresses of these offices.

Replacement cards will be available at a charge of £10.00

Any resident who has a problem getting to their local council office can contact Allerdale Borough Council on 01900 702930 for help.

Further details of the scheme are available from the NoWcard telephone helpline: 0845 058 1096 or you can connect to their web site at: http://www.nowcard.org/  where you can also follow the link to download an application form.

The criteria for entitlement

The normal concession will be either a Bus Pass or a Railcard. Residents who meet certain criteria can choose tokens as an alternative. Only one concession per person is allowed in any year.

Please view criteria for entitlement to see if you are eligible for concessions. This page also lets you know the proof you will need and the criteria for disabled applicants.

To find out about how we use the information you provide, please visit the National fraud initiative page.

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