Date: 15 July 2007 19:00

GOVERNMENT GIVES FURTHER INDICATIONS OF NATIONAL BUS PASS SCHEME
The Department of Transport has given County and District Councils further indications of what the new National Concessionary Bus Scheme will look like. The scheme will mean eligible residents will be able to use their bus pass after 9.30am until the last bus of the day between Monday and Friday and all day at the weekends and bank holidays in any part of England for the first time.

As this is a national scheme, the Government have said those who currently have a bus pass will have to apply for a new card ready for when the new system starts in April 2008. 

To aid this process, Cambridgeshire County Council is assisting the District Councils in the county and Peterborough to help applicants reapply for the passes during the summer and autumn months.

Cambridgeshire County Councillor Mac McGuire, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: "Tens of thousands of people have benefited in the last ten months from the concessionary bus fare scheme in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, and the national scheme will mean even greater benefits for all those who are eligible for a pass. For example, the scheme will mean if you have a bus pass you will be able to benefit from the concessionary fare scheme whilst on holiday or visiting friends outside the county.

This is a big step forward for all those who are entitled to bus passes but to continue to enjoy benefits, bus pass owners will have to reapply for the new national card. To help in this process we have again teamed up with our colleagues in the Districts to find a way to make this as painless as possible for people get their passes.

Throughout the summer and autumn months, District Councils will be helping residents reapply for a pass and to complete the necessary forms. To minimise inconvenience, this will be done in a phased way. We will endeavour to make sure all applicants know when to apply by placing adverts and using other publicity to pass on the information. As the system doesn't start until April 2008 there is plenty of time to make sure all of you who are entitled get your new pass in time. However, we can't afford to leave applications to the last minute as this is an immense task being done on a national basis"

Currently, bus pass holders in the county and Peterborough are able to travel for free between 9.30am and the last bus of the day between Monday and Friday. They can also travel for free all day at the weekend and on Bank Holidays.

In addition, the scheme also allows pass holders to travel to the following places, outside of the county: Newmarket, Haverhill, Saffron Walden, Royston, Biggleswade, Stamford, The Deepings, King's Lynn and Downham Market.

The blind or partially sighted are able to travel free at any time within the boundary of the scheme. 

Introduced in October 2006, the concessionary bus fare scheme in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough allows eligible passengers to cross district and city boundaries in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough for free. Cambridgeshire Councils and operators joined together to improve the highly criticised Government imposed scheme which would have restricted free travel to just within districts.

This did mean that Cambridgeshire County Council had to stump up between £600,000 to £800,000 to make the scheme work despite getting no funding from the Government.

Bus passes are available for the following groups:

¨ Pensioners (men and women over the age of 60) 
¨ People who qualify for the higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance or the War Pensioners Mobility Supplement 
¨ Those registered deaf 
¨ Those who are without speech, and can provide medical evidence 
¨ Those who are prevented from obtaining a driving licence on medical grounds 
¨ Those registered blind or partially sighted 
¨ Those who have a learning disability which includes significant impairment of intelligence and social functioning 
Those who have long term loss of the use of both arms

John Reynolds