Blue badge for autism - anyone manage to get one?

mike_h117

I am waiting for the outcome of my application for a blue badge on behalf of my 9-year-old son. His severe sensory issues make journeys very challenging but as we live in Central London we decided to sell our car 3 years ago as there was little benefit for him as we could never park close to our destination. We now rely on expensive taxis and the generosity of friends. If we do buy another car it will be 100% for his benefit as we don't need one for any other reason.

I was wondering if anyone has managed to get a blue badge for an autistic child under the new hidden disabilities criteria? As my son gets the middle tier of the care component of DLA but not the mobility component does anyone know if he will also qualify for a reduction or exception for car tax if he gets a blue badge? I was also wondering if we bought an older (cheaper) car for him if the new ULEZ charge will apply or will he qualify for the exemption until 2025 for blue badge holders?

Thanks.

Birdsnbees

No experience of this myself or with children I have one for physical disabilities HOWEVER

you should be able to get one and i would contact motability directly about your questions

those with autism more likely to need quieter way to travel and park closer to spots need to get to

poppy123456

Hi,

My daughter has ASD and claims Enhanced rate for daily living and mobility PIP but her mobility award doesn't automatically qualify her for the blue badge. I never did apply because she doesn't go out alone and i have a blue badge myself, i don't know if she would qualify under the new rules but maybe sometime in the future i will apply.

Your car tax question, i'm afraid you won't qualify for a reduction in this because there's no reduction for those with a blue badge. To claim the reduction you would need to have a PIP standard mobility award and then you would receive 50% discount. For the free road tax then you need either high mobility DLA or Enhanced mobility PIP. See links for confirmation https://www.disabledmotoring.org/motoring/road-tax-50-reduction

https://www.disabledmotoring.org/motoring/road-tax-exemption

What i advise you to do about the car tax is before you decide which car then have a look to see how much the tax is, some have very low yearly costs but it will depend on which car you chose and the age.

For the ULEZ charge, a blue badge doesn't qualify you for the exemption. Keepers of vehicles registered with a 'disabled' or 'disabled passenger vehicles' tax class will benefit from a grace period after the ULEZ starts. They'll be exempt from the ULEZ charge until 26 October 2025 as long as their vehicle doesn't change tax class.This will only apply if you'e claiming high rate mobility DLA or Enhanced mobility PIP.

Chloe_Alumni

Welcome to the community @mike_h117. I hope the above advice is helpful. How are you doing today?

mike_h117

Thanks everyone for your helpful comments. It doesn’t look like my son will be eligible for the disabled car tax status and therefore I’ll need to pick a car for him that is ULEZ compliant. I’m hopeful he’ll get the blue badge as being able to park as close as possible to our destination will be hugely helpful. We were fortunate to be able to borrow a friends car this summer and it was clear how much my son enjoyed being able to get out and about without too much distress. I was even able to take him camping for a few days which was very successful. It’s such a shame London is so car unfriendly. I’ll let you know if Camden awards him a blue badge.

Chloe_Alumni

We'll keep our fingers crossed @mike_h117!

lisajake

Hi I managed to get a blue badge for my son. He is 4 and has ASD. As long as you fill in the forms properly and be honest and send all the relevant info they need. There shouldn’t be a problem.

mike_h117

Thanks for the reply. How long did it take to get the badge? It’s been 9 weeks since I submitted the application and I’ve heard nothing back yet.

poppy123456

mike_h117 said:

Thanks for the reply. How long did it take to get the badge? It’s been 9 weeks since I submitted the application and I’ve heard nothing back yet.

It will totally depend on the backlog in your area and all areas will be different. Backlogs will be increased now due to the Christmas/New Year closing days. Hopefully you won't be waiting much longer.

OverlyAnxious

mike_h117 said:

It doesn’t look like my son will be eligible for the disabled car tax status and therefore I’ll need to pick a car for him that is ULEZ compliant.

I guess you've probably looked into this, but the majority of petrol cars from around 2004 onwards are ULEZ compliant so should be easy to find one.  It's only if you go for diesel that it has to be much newer - 2015 onwards mostly.  If you're only doing short, heavy traffic journeys, a petrol car makes more sense anyway.  It does mean the fuel & tax costs will be higher though.