Disabled Bus Pass
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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.
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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
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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
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I don't live in London any more but I believe that some bus passes (maybe not Freedom passes, but other England bus passes) are eligible now only after 9am. I may be wrong on that but that's the information I was given. When I lived there, there was no restriction, that was pre-pandemic. I know disabled freedom passes have no limit, but am not sure about non-London issued passes.
The England pass is useable anywhere in England. If you live in a border county, there may be deals with counties over the border in Wales and Scotland about transit on routes that cross the border. But I think this is only eligible if you have a pass issued in a border county who is part of that arrangement. Otherwise it's only within the country it was issued.In terms of getting a bus pass, the rules regarding PIP mobility and bus passes are a bit out of date in my opinion. You can get a bus pass automatically if you have the higher element of moving around but planning a journey is entirely at the discretion of the LA. For some random reason my LA only gives bus passes to people with 10 points, 12 you don't get one automatically. I have 12 points because of my navigational disorder. I had to get a doctor's letter to say I wasn't safe to drive (but this has carried me over several years without an issue).
I just feel like being eligible for a motability car when you can't navigate safely to drive and yet not eligible automatically for a bus pass is a big problem in the system that needs updating.
Back to the start subject, I don't mind so much about paying before 9.30am. Even if I have to go to work before that time, I can use my pass to get back again. I admit I would be happier about it if there was still a decent bus service to actually get anywhere…but it is what it is.0 -
I have used my non London bus pass in London 😊
I just flash it at the driver and wait for a nod, as their machines can't read it.
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This is the problem I'm having. My LA requests 8 points on the moving part, I only got 2 on the moving around bht got enhanced over all. So I'm not automatically elegible. So I've had to go down a long route (which has also cost me) to get my GP to fill out a form confirming my diagnosis which would make me unsuccessful at getting a driving licence when thy become aware of my medical history.
My old LA made it so much easier but this borough is making it longer and more difficult. I showed the same evidence as I showed to my last borough but they wouldn't accept it and sent me a specific form that I had to pay my GP to fill in. Yeah you can imagine how long that's taken, on top of the wait til once I submit the application (here's hoping they accept it!!) My taxicard is also invalid after moving boroughs it's ridiculous. Need to reapply for that as well now
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You only qualify for disabled pass if you have more then 8 points in one catogory on your pip claim. They will not give you a disabled bus pass if you have 8 points or more spread across multiple catogories. Does not matter what your health condition is.
I have arthritis in my hips and chest area and my pass was taken of me becasue I had less then 8 points in mobility catogory I ahd my pass for 2 years before they changed the rules for getting a pass.
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That's not true for some LA's. They all have their own criteria and some have other criteria other than disability benefits. Having a learning disability is one that will qualify you, in some areas, as will being refused a driving license.
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Yes, I have the red rose on my bus pass, I'm not in London though but in a county outside.
Thanks for all your replies, it's a handy thing to have, bus fares are quite expensive now.
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You can also get a disabled bus pass for having 2 NHS hearing aids and being either deaf or very hard of hearing.
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My mum used to get a bus sometimes before 09-30am and the driver would let her get on and sit down and wait untill it was 09-30am and then he let her press her disabled pass on the machine !!
Some drivers are pretty good like that but keep it quiet.
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I've done that too. But I'm just not sure whether they're eligible now before 9am. They were before, but I'm not sure now if it's only London Freedom passes.
@Penybont, Poppy is right, LAs have some discretion about bus passes and issuing them. The fact mine won't accept 12 points on planning a journey is not necessarily universal. THe fact mine will accept 10 points but not my 12 points is just a bit weird.
@Danlangridge88, I had to do that, too. It took me 2 years to get them to accept my evidence, and even then there's nothing on the form I can tick except 'cannot drive', for which I needed a doctor's letter. Despite having 12 points that say I can't find my way out of a paper bag. Since Autism itself doesn't prevent driving, and although my navigational problems are severe, the technical term for what that is doesn't seem to be known by the NHS, let alone by the LAs. So I had to down that route.
If I had mobility issues and 12 points for moving around, I would've been immediately eligible for a pass. Even if I could navigate fine and get a motability car and blue badge. I'm eligible for both of those, so I think my LA assumes people with 12 points get motability and don't need a bus pass. But in reality, if you have 12 points for planning a journey, it means you get lost in familiar surroundings…and struggle with directions…and probably you shouldn't be driving a car :/ Thus bus pass makes more sense.
On the flipside, once you have a doctor's note on file, hopefully renewing your pass will be easier. I've not had a problem, touch wood, with mine since I did get the letter. The letter specified that I had a severe navigational disability, and that was enough.0
