Calls for the governemnt to introduce free bus passes for people aged 60 and above have been growing and the Department for Transport has made its stance clear. Such passes are already provided to residents over the gae of 60 in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. However, the rules are different in England with local councils having to delegate their own budgest to provide such passes.

Free bus passes are available to over 60s in England in places like London and Merseyside. A petition for such passes to become widespread across England on the UK Parliament website has attracted a significant 55,032 signatures to date. The matter was recently brought up in parliament by Liberal Democrat MP Rachel Gilmour who asked the Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander: “What assessment her Department has made of the merits of introducing free bus passes for people aged 60 and over.”

Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Department for Transport, Simon Lightwood said that such an expansion would come with extra cost and highlighted extra government funding that is being directed outside of London for suc services.

He said: “The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations, such as lowering the age of eligibility, would therefore need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability.”

The government recently confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London, including £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities.

The petition calling for free bus passes for over 60s in England says it wants “equality” for everyone over 60. It reads: ” We call on the Government to extend free bus travel to all people over 60 years old in England outside London.

“We believe the current situation is unjust and we want equality for everyone over 60. Currently, people in England who do not live in London are not entitled to free bus travel until they reach the state pension age, which we believe has changed dramatically.

“As people get older some over 60s drive less and less, therefore we believe we need equality on public transport. It would mean England had the same provision as Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.”

The petition has crossed the halfway mark to its desired 100,000 signatures to spark the debate in the House of Commons.