Accessibility 
Today, on 18th August, the Prime Minister announced that disabled people who qualify for the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme will be able to travel for free at any time of day. Currently, most local authorities in England allow eligible disabled people to travel for free on weekends and between 9:30 am and 11 pm on weekdays only.
Why is this change happening now?
Since the General Election, the UK Government has been vocal about its desire to increase the number of disabled people in employment. While disabled people’s rights are not, and should not, be linked to their employment status, it is worth noting that transport at all times of the day is crucial for accessing work.
Less than a year before Andy Burnham stepped down as the Mayor of Greater Manchester, he scrapped time limits to the concessionary travel scheme in Greater Manchester. Therefore, it is not surprising that this policy change is happening soon after he became the Prime Minister.
The change, of course, has been a result of continuous campaigning by a coalition of organisations. 61 organisations signed Transport for All’s #UnlockTransportAccess letter to the Department for Transport, which called for reforming the concessionary travel scheme, including the scrapping of time limits.
Practicalities
The funding will come from the budgets of the Department for Work and Pensions (£40 million) and the Department for Transport (£20 million). The changes will happen from 1 April 2027. Local authorities will continue to administer this scheme.
Standardising concessionary travel schemes
In Joined Up Policies, Joined Up Journeys, we advocate for standards of concessionary travel schemes to tackle the postcode lottery. Beyond time restrictions, eligibility criteria regarding disability, provision of a companion ticket, and communication about the scheme also vastly differ across the country. #UnlockTransportAccess letter also reflects this, calling for a national bus pass, standardised eligibility criteria based on the Social Model of Disability, and a co-designed application process.
The inconsistencies are not only between local authorities but also between England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. While the Prime Minister’s scrapping of the time limits in England is aligned with the rest of the UK, eligibility criteria and the level of financial support still vary significantly. Currently, disabled people in Northern Ireland, unless they are blind or a veteran, are only entitled to half-price travel. For disabled people to seamlessly travel across the UK, without imbalanced rights, we need standardised concessionary travel schemes. Scrapping time limits is a strong step in the right direction.
I would love to hear from disabled people and Disabled People’s Organisations, local authorities, transport operators, and anyone else who is interested in improving the concessionary travel schemes.
Please get in touch with me to discuss concessionary travel further: deniz.uyanik@policyconnect.org.uk.
Related content
