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Disabled Bus Pass

cheryld

Hiya everyone

I have a disabled bus pass and recently found out (whilst travelling to a hospital appointment) that I’m not entitled to use it/travel for free before 9.30am.

Is that not a type of discrimination? Just because I’m disabled I have to pay to be out early. That seems crazy to me.

What if I was in education, or working or like I was doing, travelling to one of my many medical appointments.

Does anyone know if something can be done?

I’ve tried my LA who issued me the pass and they just said ‘nothing they can do. It’s the bus company’. Spoke to the bus company head office and they said they do as the LA advise them, so no one giving me any answers.

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Comments

cheryld

Thank you @woodbine for your comments. I definitely do appreciate what I get completely. I just wished sometimes LA would all do the same. I know in London a disabled pass has no time restrictions at all.

Sometimes I feel like it’s a ‘postcode war’ with what you get support with or not.

But thank you for your time to respond to my post 🙂

dkb123

In London, there is no time restriction on Freedom Passes for the disabled, but if you claim any income-related benefits you can claim from the NHS, you may also look into Dial a Ride and Taxi Card

2oldcodgers

woodbine said:

Like pensioners bus passes disabled bus passes are valid after 9-30 am in most areas, if you were working you would get free Tavel after 9-30 and for the rest of the day.

it's the LA who make the rules and to be blunt I see no discrimination just the benefit of free travel after 9-30 am, we should be grateful for what we get to be honest. If you have to travel to hospital for an appointment before 9-30 and pay bus fare depending on the benefits you get you might be able to reclaim the fare, or you could make sure you get appointments at a time that would give you free travel.

My disabled bus pass has saved me lots of money over the last 18 years and like many people I am grateful for it.

Well that is the main reason that I have been unable to use my OAP bus pass for the past few years. (.30 is no good to me as the buses run every 2 hours with one at 7.55am and the next at 9.55am. Not much good with hospital appointments at 9.30am
Incidentally because of this time restriction and very few buses being in operation the LA decided that I didn't need the pass and quickly had me hand it back.

Danlangridge88

If you're travelling to NHS treatment you can claim the costs back here

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/2023-06/HC5(T) (V11) online - 06.2023.pdf

Jimm_Alumni

I believe it's similar to the reason many railcards have a minimum fare of £12 before 10am on weekdays. Those are morning commuter hours, generally the busiest time for public transit, and so the period of highest revenue.

Someone has probably calculated how much it would "cost" to have bus passes and railcards fully apply during the morning commute and it's been deemed too costly.

2oldcodgers

Danlangridge88 said:

If you're travelling to NHS treatment you can claim the costs back here

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/2023-06/HC5(T) (V11) online - 06.2023.pdf

Been there and done it in the past. The time it takes to get a refund from the NHS is ridiculous. In the past I have had to wait many months.
I suppose that you can get paid at the hospital but that is another expedition and a half making sure that you have been signed into the outpatients which you can only get when you have seen the doctor. More often than not by the time you go for your money they have shut up shop.

jane52

I can use my disabled bus pass in my local county anytime; outside of my local county it is 09.30 to 11.00pm. In London it is anytime.

cheryld

Penybont said:

at least you still got yours, mine was taken off me because bridgend council changed the rules. It use to be you needed to have pip to get the pass now you need 8 points in 1 catagory on your pip claim.

It’s now easier to get pip then it is to get a disability bus pass in bridgend.

Wow. Sorry to hear that.

That’s what I mean. I think all LA in England & Wales should be using the same guidelines. It feels like your disability means more or less to different county’s.

Kimi87

Penybont said:

at least you still got yours, mine was taken off me because bridgend council changed the rules. It use to be you needed to have pip to get the pass now you need 8 points in 1 catagory on your pip claim.

Its now easier to get pip then it is to get a disability bus pass in bridgend.

There will be other qualifying criteria outside of PIP.
Is there another route you might qualify?

https://tfw.wales/travelcard/eligibility

I myself in England pay for a GP letter and apply under

Have a disability, or have suffered an injury, which has a substantial and long-term effect on your ability to walk

Might this one be applicable for you :

Would be refused a driving licence under Part III of the Road Traffic Act 1988 pursuant to section 92 of that Act (physical fitness)

Kimi87

These are the criteria for Wales (see link already posted)

poppy123456

Penybont said:

I have pip, I have a condition called ankylosis spondylitis which is a auto immune disease and arthritis and was given a disabled bus pass back in 2018/2019. In 2021 they changed the design of the card and ask for evidence I was allowed to have pass I provided them with same evidence I used to get pass and was allowed to keep it.

In 2022 they asked again to proof I was still entilied to the pass and again I provided same evidence as before but this time they said i did not qualify for the pass because they changed the rules.

It use to be if your on pip and have a disabilty that meet ceratin requirements, mobility was on of them, that is why i was given the pass. In 2022 they changed it to you need 8 point in one catorgory on your pip claim to get the pass.

What PIP award do you have exactly?

poppy123456

Penybont said:

basic pip not sure of the name but get £274.35 every 4 weeks

That will be a daily living PIP award which has never automatically entitled anyone to a disabled bus pass.

You must have qualified because of your health conditions.

KG100

A bus driver told me that the reason we can't use disabled bus passes before 09.30am is because the seats are needed for people going to work.

I suppose that's fair enough really, at least we get it free for the rest of the day.

KG100

Does anyone know if we can use our disabled bus passes in London if they're issued in counties outside of London.

Danlangridge88

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/875159#Comment_875159

I'm pretty sure you can. You can use a freedom pass oyster all over England on busses. Does your pass have a red rose on it? If so that symbol means you can use it across the whole of England... on local busses. Not quite sure what that class as local or not but yeh

Danlangridge88

You're not in london are you,becsuse you can use the freedom pass any time of day on any bus as well as tubes. There's only some restrictions on national rail service before 9:30.

Danlangridge88

You're not in london are you,becsuse you can use the freedom pass any time of day on any bus as well as tubes. There's only some restrictions on national rail service before 9:30.

Danlangridge88

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/875159#Comment_875159

If it has the red rose symbol on it then you can use it on all local busses across England. I'm pretty sure they have, the freedom pass issued in london can be used across the country

Danlangridge88

Are you in London? Because with a disabled freedom pass tbe only restrictions is on certain national rail services. The old persons one has more restrictions. No