New call for changes to free bus travel scheme for people with a disability

The National Entitlement Card (NEC) provides access to many public services across Scotland and gives people over 60, and those of all ages with a disability, free bus travel across the country.

Through the Strathclyde Concessionary Travel Scheme, it also provides reduced fares on train, Subway and ferry journeys.However, south of the border eligibility and usage rules for the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) are different and Liberal Democrat MP Daisy Cooper has urged the Department for Transport if it will make an assessment of the potential merits of expanding the scheme to provide “free anytime bus travel to all disabled bus pass holders”.In a written response, Transport Minister Simon Lightwood explained how the ENCTS provides “free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of State Pension age” adding the scheme costs around £700 million per year to maintain.He continued: “Any changes to the statutory obligations, such as extending the times of use, would therefore need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability.”However, the Transport Minister added local authorities in England “have the power to go beyond their statutory obligations under the ENCTS and offer additional discretionary concessions, such as extending the travel time criteria for the ENCTS”.The Department for Transport’s concessionary travel statistics for the year ending March 2025, report 60 per cent of travel concession authorities provide discretionary concessions for disabled concessionary passholders to travel before 9:30am and after 11pm.A new online petition is calling for the UK Government to change the ENCTS to enable disabled people to use their