National Bus Pass
Frequently asked questions
- I reach the age of 60 after 6th April 2010. When will I get my pass?
- I am already aged 60 and have a pass; will it be taken away from me?
- Will I have to wait until I am 65 to get my pass?
- I was born after 5th April 1959. When will I get my pass?
- Why have working age men been entitled to a pass in the past?
- How much does the pass cost?
- Can I apply for a pass before I am eligible?
- How long do I have to wait until I get my pass?
- Who should I notify if I move house?
- I have recently moved into this area, how do I change my pass?
- Where can I use my pass?
- How do I renew my pass?
- Can I collect my pass from County Hall?
- Who is paying for the scheme?
- My pass has a district logo on. Can i get a new one with a Devon Logo?
- I live in East Devon and have lost my pass. Why do I have to pay for a replacement pass when East Devon Council used to issue replacement passes for free?
- I live in East Devon. Can I take my application to the Tourist Information Centre rather than posting it to Devon County Council
- Why can I not use my National Bus Pass at 09:00 on my local Stagecoach service as before?
- I live in West Devon/Mid Devon/East Devon, why can I not use my National Bus Pass from 09:00 under this new scheme?
- Why are you allowing some services to start earlier than 09:30 if there is no other service before 11:00?
- Why are you introducing free travel after 23:00? Surely there aren't any buses that late at night?
- I have a companion pass issued by my district council. Why do I have to re-apply for a Devon County Council companion pass when I have only had my district companion pass for a short period of time?
- My East Devon pass has a C+ on the card, showing I can travel with a companion. Why won't this pass be valid from 1st April 2011?
- How can I offer feedback/complain about the scheme?
Q I reach the age of 60 after 6th April 2010. When will I get my pass?
From 6th April2010, the age of eligibility for concessionary travel for women is now pension age and for men it is now the pensionable age of a woman born on the same day.
The state pension age for women is rising by five years over a period of ten years. The age of eligibility will rise incrementally, that is, in stages, between 2010 and 2020. The earliest age for men and women to get bus passes will therefore rise gradually, from 60 on 5 April 2010 to 65 on 6 April 2020.
The Government decided that this would be the fairest method, rather than introduce a one-off rise which would leave those currently close to retirement age facing a full five-year delay.
Beyond 2020, the age of eligibility for concessionary travel will continue to increase in line with any future changes to the state pension age.
This means the earliest date on which you can get your bus pass will depend on which month you were born in and will not necessarily fall on your birthday. To find out when you will become eligible for your concessionary bus pass select age of eligibility.
Q I am already aged 60 and have a pass; will it be taken away from me?
No definitely not. For people who have reached the age of 60 before 6 April 2010 there will be no change whatsoever. Even if you have not already taken up your entitlement to a bus pass, you will be unaffected by the changes if your 60th birthday is before 6th April 2010.
Q Will I have to wait until I am 65 to get my pass?
You will only have to wait until you are 65 to get a bus pass if you were born after 5th April 1955.
Q I was born after 5th April 1959, when will I get my pass?
People born after 5th April 1959 will not become eligible for concessionary travel until they are 65 or older. By 2020 the pensionable age for men and women will have harmonised at 65. Beyond 2020, the age of eligibility for concessionary travel will continue to increase in line with any future changes to the state pension age.
Q Why have working age men been entitled to a pass in the past?
The purpose of the concession has always been to provide greater freedom and independence to older people in their retirement. Until 2002, eligibility for the concessionary bus pass was linked to the state pension age, meaning women became eligible at 60 and men at 65.
However, in 2000 this difference was challenged as discriminatory in the European Court of Human Rights. The Government pre-emptively took the decision to lower the age of entitlement for men and in 2002 new legislation was passed that equalised the age of eligibility for both sexes at 60. However, this meant that, for the first time, concessionary bus travel was made available to older people of working age.
With the difference in state pension age for men and women set to disappear between 2010 and 2020, it is appropriate to re-establish the link with pension age and remove the anomalous position of working age citizens receiving free bus passes.
Q How much does the pass cost?
Bus Passes are issued free of charge to eligible residents who are first time applicants. An administration charge of £8 will be made for any replacement passes.
Q Can I apply for a pass before I am eligible?
If you are applying for a pass on the grounds of age, you can submit your application up to two weeks before the date you become eligible. Please see age of eligibility to find out when you will become eligible for your concessionary pass..
Q Who should I notify if I move house?
If you have moved within the Devon Concessionary Bus Travel Partnership area then please write to us with details of your previous address and your new address. We will need to see proof of your new address such as a copy of a council tax bill.
If you have moved out of the area covered by the Devon Concessionary Bus Travel Partnership then please return your bus pass to our office once you have received your new pass from your new council.
Q I have recently moved into this area, how do I change my pass?
Please apply by filling in the application form, attach a photo and send in proof of your new address and proof of your eligibility. Once you have received your new pass, please send your old one back to your previous district council
Q How long do I have to wait till I get my pass?
Once we have received your application, photo and supporting documents, a pass will be ordered for you from an external government approved card producer. This process can take up to 10 working days.
Q Where can I use my pass?
You can use your National Bus Pass on any registered local timetabled bus service in ENGLAND.
Q How do I renew my pass?
The National Bus Pass Scheme replaced the previous Devonwide scheme on 1st of April 2008. All Devonwide pass holders were contacted and invited to apply for a National Bus Pass. If you still have a Devonwide pass and have yet to apply for a National Bus Pass then please contact our office on 01392 383688.
The National Bus Pass is valid until the 31st of March 2013; we will endeavour to contact all pass holders before this date to renew their pass.
Q Can I collect my pass from County Hall?
No, your bus pass will be posted to you from the company that makes the smartcards. We do not make the passes at County Hall.
Q Who is paying for the scheme?
The Devon Concessionary Bus Travel Scheme is paid for by the seven district councils that make up the partnership. Central Government awarded the partners a grant to run the scheme.
Q My pass has a district logo on. Can i get a new one with a Devon Logo?
No, new passes will only be issued if your current one is lost or damaged.
Q I live in East Devon and have lost my pass. Why do I have to pay for a replacement pass when East Devon Council used to issue replacement passes for free?
Devon County Council charge an administration fee of £8.00 for a replacement pass. The statutory requirement is that the initial pass is issued for free, any subsequent passes can attract an administration fee to cover the cost of re-issuing the pass.
Q I live in East Devon. Can I take my application to the Tourist Information Centre rather than posting it to Devon County Council?
No, the check and send service previously offered by the Tourist Information Centres in East Devon has ceased. Please send your application in the post to the address given on the application form.
Q Why can I not use my National Bus Pass at 09:00 on my local Stagecoach service as before?
Stagecoach South West offered the additional concession of an 09:00 start as part of a commercial agreement within the previous scheme. Devon County Council has decided not to negotiate this additional concession at this time.
Q I live in West Devon/Mid Devon/East Devon, why can I not use my National Bus Pass from 09:00 under this new scheme?
Each district council was able to provide additional benefits over and above the statutory scheme as this benefit was paid for by the district. Now that the government has changed the way concessionary travel is administered and funded, individual districts no longer have the powers to provide this concession.
Q Why are you allowing some services to start earlier than 09:30 if there is no other service before 11:00?
For some rural locations, there is either a large time gap between morning services or just one service in the morning before 09:30. In the interest of rural accessibility, it was decided to allow exceptions to the statutory start time of 09:30.
Q Why are you introducing free travel after 23:00? Surely there aren't any buses that late at night?
This additional concession applies to a very few services at negligible cost. Previous correspondence from pass holders has highlighted that stopping free travel at 23:00 is socially restrictive and after carrying out an equality assessment Devon County Council came to the same conclusion.
Q I have a companion pass issued by my district council. Why do I have to re-apply for a Devon County Council companion pass when I have only had my district companion pass for a short period of time?
Each district companion pass is different. In order to ensure continuity throughout Devon and to make it easier for bus drivers to identify legitimate companion passes, it was decided to re-issue the companion passes ahead of the start of the new scheme to avoid potential cases of refused travel.
Q My East Devon pass has a C+ on the card, showing I can travel with a companion. Why won't this pass be valid from 1st April 2011?
There are currently six different designs of companion passes in use across Devon that only allow free travel in the district they were issued in. In order to unify the provision for full cross-district travel, and make it as simple as possible for bus operators to recognise a valid pass, new companion passes with a Devon design are being issued.
Q How can I send feedback/ complain about the scheme.
If you would like to complain about the Devon Concessionary Bus Travel scheme, please put your feedback/complaint in writing and post it to the address below:
Concessionary Bus Travel
Room 18 Matford Offices
County Hall
Topsham Road
Exeter
EX2 4QW
