Bus travel is central to many of us being able to live an independent life. So why then do concessionary travel schemes differ so much throughout the country?
What is a concessionary bus pass?
When the Government introduced a new national concessionary travel scheme from 1 April 2008, every eligible older or disabled person in England became entitled to free bus travel from 9.30am to 11pm.
What's the problem?
Unfortunately the national concessionary travel scheme gave local authorities the power to choose which extra elements of subsidised travel they implemented. Many areas reduced free travel available at other times, so blind and partially sighted people found they were suddenly prevented from travelling free before 9.30am or their companion pass had been withdrawn.
This led to massive differences throughout the country and confusion as people travel from one district to another. People are losing out simply because of where they live.
From April 2011 the administration of concessionary travel changed from borough/district councils to county councils. Worryingly, this could result in a further loss of some concessionary travel.
As smaller districts with different schemes merge together to offer a larger uniform scheme, some people could lose out as discretions are removed. We will be campaigning to ensure that all current discretions are protected and that this year's countywide schemes increase discretions, instead of taking the opportunity to cut.
Local Government Ombudsman rules in our favour
The Local Government Ombudsman, an independent body that looks at complaints about councils and other authorities, has ruled that people prevented from using free bus travel before 9.30am in seven councils were left with a "justified sense of outrage."
The Ombudsman found in favour of all the complaints that RNIB submitted on behalf of nine complainants in seven councils. The finding was "maladministration causing injustice" and in October 2009 the Ombudsman requested that each of the seven councils pay the nine complainants £100 compensation each.
Complaints with the Ombudsman have to be lodged within a year, so we can no longer use it to challenge other Local Authorities who removed concessionary elements on 1 April 2008. However we will use this report as a lever as we take the campaign forward.
What can I do?
We have conducted research to locate the worst affected areas so that we can focus our campaigning. However, if you live in an area that does not issue companion passes or pre-9.30am travel, please let us know so we can work with you to lobby your local authority.
However, the current situation is muddled due to different local entitlements. Action therefore depends on where you live:
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If you live in an area which does not issue companion passes or pre 9.30am travel, please contact your Regional Campaigns Officer.
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If you do currently receive a companion pass, or can travel from 9am onwards, write to the new leader of the council at your local authority and tell them how much you value this entitlement.
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Be aware of any correspondence you might receive regarding changes in your bus pass or travel pass and contact RNIB campaigns if you receive something which appears to threaten your entitlement.
Leading deafblind charity Sense have also set up a link which allows you to send a message to the Secretary of State for Transport. It only takes two minutes to do!
Further information
For further information or to discuss how you can campaign on concessionary bus travel, please contact the campaigns team on 020 7391 2123 or campaigns@rnib.org.uk.