Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced that from April next year, disabled people will be entitled to free bus travel 24/7 across England, removing current time restrictions on their passes. The change, funded with £60 million from existing departmental budgets, is part of the government's ongoing action to ease cost-of-living pressures.
Current Restrictions and the Change
At present, disabled bus passes are only valid on weekdays between 9.30am and 11pm, unless local authorities choose to fund an extension. Greater Manchester, under Burnham's mayoralty, extended this earlier this year. The new nationwide scheme will abolish these restrictions in all areas of England.
The £60 million required to finance the initiative has been drawn from existing budgets – with £40 million coming from the Department for Work and Pensions and £20 million from the Department for Transport.
Prime Minister's Statement
Burnham said: "Buses are a lifeline for so many people - making it easier to get to work, education and healthcare. It's simply not right that many disabled people cannot travel using their pass during certain times of the day. So we're fixing that. Disabled people will now have unlimited free bus travel 24/7."
He added: "I did it before in Greater Manchester and I'm proud to do it now for the whole country. This is part of our ongoing action to bring back hope and give people some much-needed breathing space on the cost of living."
Political Reactions
Liberal Democrat Tom Gordon, who has been championing this change for nearly two years, welcomed the decision. The MP commented: "Disabilities don't start at 9 o'clock, neither should disabled bus passes and soon enough they won't. This is a huge win for the disabled community."
The proposal to scrap the time restrictions was initially blocked by MPs last year. A Conservative Party spokesman remarked: "This is simply the shuffling around of existing departmental budgets. Andy Burnham needs to come clean about how he is going to fund this growing list of policies."
Since taking office as Prime Minister, Burnham has introduced a series of measures aimed at addressing the escalating cost of living, including slashing business rates for pubs, capping bus fares at £2, and scrapping VAT on electricity bills. The new bus pass scheme will take effect from April next year, providing disabled people with unlimited free travel at all times.
