Vale of White Horse District Council
Abbey House, Abbey Close,
Abingdon, OX14 3JE
Email: comments@whitehorsedc.gov.uk
Telephone: 01235 520202

Vale of White Horse District Council

Free bus pass scheme

The national bus pass scheme allows eligible older or disabled people to enjoy free off-peak travel on local buses anywhere in England.

Under the national scheme the free travel period funded by the Government starts from 9.30am. The council also offers a discretionary element under the national scheme of free travel for companions of certain disabled pass holders.

Under the national scheme a nationally recognised pass is needed. If you have any further queries please call 0345 302 2315.

Age of Eligibility

If you are aged 60 before 6 April 2010 but have not yet applied for a concessionary pass you still can.  However, after this date, the age of eligibility for concessionary travel is changing.

To find out when you can get a concessionary pass use the online calculator by visiting http://pensions.direct.gov.uk/en/state-pension-age-calculator/home.asp or check the downloadable table on the right of this page.

The state pension age for women is rising by five years over the next ten years. The earliest age for men and women to get bus passes will therefore rise gradually, from 60 on 6 April 2010 to 65 on 5 April 2020.

The eligibility of disabled people is unaffected by this change.

For more information please contact 0345 302 2315.

Who is entitled to a free bus pass?          

• A person of eligible age
• Blind or partially sighted persons
• Profoundly or severely deaf persons
• A person without speech
• A person who has a disability, or has suffered an injury, which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his ability to walk
• A person who does not have arms or has long-term loss of the use of both arms
• A person who has a learning disability, that is, a state of arrested or incomplete development of mind which includes significant impairment of intelligence and social functioning
• A person who would, if he applied for the grant of a licence to drive a motor vehicle under Part III of the Road Traffic Act 1988, have his/her application refused pursuant to Section 92 of that Act (physical fitness)
• If the applicant is registered as blind with Oxfordshire County Council and/or are a wheelchair user, then a companions bus pass is available to enable a friend or carer to receive the full fare reduction while travelling with the applicant.                              

Eligible people must reside in the Vale of White Horse District area.             

When can I use my pass?                                

You can use your bus pass on local bus services between 9.30am and 11pm Monday to Friday, and all day at weekends and bank holidays.       

How do I apply for a pass?

Download the application form from the related documents section on the right of the page and return the form with a recent passport sized photograph (with your name printed on the back) and valid proof of eligibility to Assisted Travel, Third Floor, Tower Court, Enterprise Business Park, Coventry, CV6 5NX.   

Lost, Damaged or Stolen Passes

If you have lost, damaged or had your pass stolen please contact the assisted travel team as soon as possible by calling 0345 302 2315. A fee of £10 is payable for replacing lost or damaged passes. This fee is payable before the issue of the replacement pass. If you have had your pass stolen please provide the crime reference number which will be provided by the Police. If a Police crime reference number is not provided a fee of £10 will be payable before a replacement pass is issued.

For more information about the national scheme, including a series of frequently asked questions and answers, please see this page of the Directgov website.