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English national concessionary travel pass

Find out if you qualify for an English national concessionary travel pass (national bus pass), how to apply for, cancel or replace a pass, where and when you can use your pass.

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What is an English national concessionary travel pass (national bus pass)?

If you are of pensionable age or have a disability, you could be eligible for free bus travel. The English national concessionary travel pass (national bus pass) entitles you to use bus services free of charge in England.

Am I entitled to a national bus pass?

The national bus pass is available to residents of East Riding of Yorkshire who are the following:

  • People of pensionable age. Applications for bus passes can be made from one calendar month before your 66th birthday. Please note: if you make an early application we will post your pass to you during the week before your birthday.

  • Seriously injured service personnel and veterans who have been awarded a lump sum payment under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme

  • A person having a learning disability

  • Blind or partially-sighted

  • Profoundly or severely deaf

  • A person who is medically unfit to drive on grounds other than those of persistent misuse of drugs or alcohol for a minimum of 12 months

  • A person unable to communicate orally in any language

  • A person who has a disability or has suffered an injury which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to walk.

How do I apply for a national bus pass?

The fastest way to apply is by completing our online form. Public-access PCs are available across our libraries and customer services should you need to use a computer.

If you are unable to apply online, please call (01482) 393939 to book an appointment at your local customer service or multi service centre where staff will complete the application form for you.

Do I need supporting evidence when I apply for or renew my national bus pass?

Yes, you will need to supply evidence when applying for a national bus pass.

If you are renewing a pass and your address has not changed you do not need to re-submit any evidence. However, if your

address has changed, you will need to provide proof of your new address.

Proof of age (if you are of pensionable age):

  • Birth certificate
  • Driving licence
  • Passport
  • Pension card.

Proof of address:

  • Council tax bill dated within the last 12 months

  • Bank statement dated within the last 3 months

  • Utility bill dated in the last 3 months

  • Award letter from the Service Personnel and Veteran Agency dated within the last 12 months

  • Benefit award letter from the Department of Work and pensions dated within the last 12 months

  • Confirmation letter from social services or another local authority service that confirms that the applicant is a resident

  • Local Housing Allowance or other benefit award letter dated within the last 12 months

  • Pensions letter from the Pension Service dated within the last 12 months.

Supporting evidence of war veterans:

  • War Pensioner’s Mobility Supplement (WPMS)

  • Proof of Compensation Scheme lump sum.

Supporting evidence of limbless disability

  • Proof of being registered as limbless on the local authority social services register.
  • Written confirmation of artificial limb from artificial limb unit.

Supporting evidence of learning disability:

  • Proof of being registered on local authority social services register as severely learning disabled

  • A letter from a specialist doctor, independent health professional, or registered medical practitioner, that states the applicant has a learning disability

  • A statement of SEN or a letter.

Supporting evidence of sight disability:

  • Proof of being registered as sight impaired on the local authority social services register

  • Certificate of Vision Impairment (CVI) signed by a consultant ophthalmologist with severed sight impaired (blind) ticked

  • Written confirmation from an optometrist that an applicant would qualify to be registered as severely sight impaired (blind).

Supporting evidence of hearing disability:

  • Proof of being registered on the local authority social services register as profoundly or severely deaf

  • Audiological report from an aural specialist indicating hearing loss has reached 70-95 dBHL (severely deaf) or 95+dBHL (profoundly deaf)

  • Written confirmation from an aural specialist that an applicant would qualify to be registered as profoundly or severely deaf.

Supporting evidence for medically unfit to drive:

  • Recent letter from the DVLA with details of licence withdrawal

  • Questionnaire completed by your GP or specialist or optometrist.

Medically unfit to drive doctors form (pdf 74kb)

Supporting evidence for ‘without speech’:

Proof of being registered without speech on the local authority social services register

Supporting evidence of severe walking difficulties:

  • Proof of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), scoring a minimum of 8 points on ‘moving around’

  • Proof of DLA, awarded at the higher rate for mobility

  • Proof of current Disabled Car Badge

  • Registered on the local authority social services register as having severe walking difficulties (having a registration is not a guarantee of entitlement).

Photo requirements:

We need a recent photo of you for your national bus pass. This should show your head and shoulders and have a plain, light-coloured background. You must be facing forward and looking straight into the camera. It should be:

  • maximum size: 20MB

  • file options allowed: JPG.

Please refer to the Bus Pass Photograph Guide for more information about acceptable photographs for your pass:

Bus Pass Photograph Guide (pdf 108kb)

We can link your national bus pass to your library account so you can use it instead of your library card. If you would like to do this, you will need your library card number when filling the online form.

Please note: if you cannot provide the evidence requested, you may submit alternative evidence which we may or may not consider.

Applying at a customer service centre?

If you are applying at a customer service centre , the staff may have the facilities to take a photograph of you but you should check before you go.

Where and when can I use my national bus pass?

You can use your national bus pass on all local bus services in England between 9.30am and 11pm Monday to Friday and at all times on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays.

You can use your pass on local bus services in London, however, national bus passes are not accepted on buses in Scotland or Wales.

If you are travelling outside the East Riding you are subject to the conditions of the council where your journey starts. Some may allow travel before 9.30am and travel on trains and trams, but you would need to check with them before making your journey.

How do I renew my national bus pass?

Your national bus pass is not renewed automatically. When your national bus pass is due to expire, it is your responsibility to renew it.

The fastest way to renew your pass is by completing our online form. Public PCs are available across our libraries and customer services should you need access to a computer. If you are unable to apply online, please call 01482 393939 and staff can assist you.

Please note: if your address has changed you'll need to provide proof of your new address. If you have moved into the East Riding within the last 5 years and your current bus pass was issued by a different authority, you will not be able to renew your bus pass and you will need to make a new application.

How do I replace my national bus pass?

You may request a replacement national bus pass because:

  • you would like a new photo on your pass

  • your pass has been stolen or lost

  • your pass is damaged or faulty

Please note:

if your address has changed you'll need to provide proof of your new address.

The fastest way to replace your pass is by completing our online form. Public PCs are available across our libraries and customer services should you need access to a computer. If you are unable to apply online, please call 01482 393939 and staff can assist you.

How do I cancel my national bus pass?

You need to tell us if:

  • you have moved out of the area

  • your medical condition has improved

  • a travel pass holder is deceased

The fastest way to cancel a pass is by completing our online form. Public PCs are available across our libraries and customer services should you need access to a computer. If you are unable to apply online, please call 01482 393939 and staff can assist you.

Cancel a national bus pass

What is the companion entitlement?

If you are unable to use buses without assistance, you can apply to have a companion travel with you for free on the bus. This will be a “plus C” logo added to the top right hand corner of your national bus pass.

Having a companion travel free with you is a local facility, valid for cross boundary journeys with neighbouring authorities, where the journey starts or finishes within East Riding or Hull. It is not valid for travel throughout England. You can use your national bus pass throughout England, but your companion may be asked to pay the appropriate bus fare when travelling further than the following places:

  • Doncaster

  • Malton

  • Hull

  • Pontefract

  • Scarborough

  • Selby

  • York.

The national bus pass is not available to children under 11 years of age because at this age a child would normally be accompanied by an adult on the bus.

How do I add the companion entitlement to my national bus pass?

Supporting evidence for the companion element could be:

  • A letter from your GP or specialist outlining that you are not capable of travelling independently

  • Proof of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), scoring a minimum of 8 points on ‘planning and following a journey’. For more information about PIP, visit the personal independence payment page (PIP) on the GOV.UK website.

Add companion element to a national bus pass

The fastest way to add a companion to your national bus pass is by completing our online form. Public PCs are available across our libraries and customer services should you need access to a computer. If you are unable to apply online, please call 01482 393939 and staff can assist you.

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