Currently travellers over 60 on Wales, Scotland and NI get free travel automatically - but those in England do not
Ben Hurst
14:17, 15 Jan 2026
An update has been given to Yorkshire residents over the potential for free bus travel for all over-60s. Controversy and support over the issue has been growing. Earlier this month a massive petition forced a Commons debate where the Department for Transport was forced to defend its position.
A key issue is that over 60s in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all get free bus travel as the devolved governments have chose to fund it. In England it is down to cash-strapped local authorities to decided to pay for the concession and only Transport for London and on Merseyside is it policy.
In a new parliamentary written question Labour’s Olivia Blake from Sheffield Hallam asked Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander: “Whether she has considered the potential merits of providing free bus travel to over 60s across the whole of the UK.”
Simon Lightwood Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport) said that in Yorkshire funding was available - if the local authority decides to use it: “The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age. The ENCTS costs around £795 million annually in reimbursement costs to bus operators, and any changes to the statutory obligations would need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability. The potential merits of extending free bus travel to over 60s across England were debated in parliament on Monday 5 January, following an e-petition on this topic.
“Local authorities in England have the power to offer concessions in addition to their statutory obligations, including lowering the age of eligibility. These are additional local concessions provided and funded by local authorities from local resources.
“The Government is investing in bus services long-term and has confirmed over £3 billion from 2026/27 to support local leaders and bus operators across the country to improve bus services over the remainder of the spending review period. This includes multi-year allocations for local authorities under the Local Authority Bus Grant (LABG) totalling nearly £700 million per year.
“South Yorkshire Combined Authority has been allocated £52.4 million under the LABG from 2026/27 to 2028/29, in addition to the £17.8 million they are already receiving in 2025/26. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services can be used in whichever way they wish to deliver better services for passengers, including funding discretionary concessions.”
The debate earlier this month responded to a petition which gained more than 100,000 signatures. In the debate, Labour’s Tony Vaughan said: “There are many areas of our country where there is free bus travel for the over-60s: London, Liverpool, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. In our country, there is a growing misperception that if someone is over 60, they are somehow financially blessed, with a house on which the mortgage has been paid off, and they have plenty of assets and capital washing around. Many people think that the over-60s do not need free bus travel. I challenge that narrative
“A new report from Standard Life identifies a substantial rise in financial insecurity among people in their early 60s, after the increases in the state pension age since 2010, and highlights that there are a quarter of a million more people aged 60 to 64 in relative income poverty than there were in 2010.
“There is already free bus travel for the over-60s in several parts of the UK, so this policy can work. The 60+ London Oyster photocard, operated and funded by TfL, is available to London residents over 60. There are 383,000 active users of that photocard, which I know makes a positive difference to the lives of the 24% of Londoners in that age group who live in poverty.”
Independent MP Iqbal Mohamed added: “The fact that more than 100,000 people signed it shows how strongly the public feel about the issue and how far it reaches into people’s everyday lives. People’s access to free travel should not depend on where they live or how stretched their council’s budget happens to be. National problems require national solutions.”
Mohammad Yasin of Labour said: “Free bus travel for over-60s would not only provide much-needed financial relief, but help to reduce social isolation, support access to healthcare and enable continued engagement in work, volunteering and community life.”
In response Mr Lightwood said: “For many people in their early 60s, buses are a lifeline to work, caring, volunteering and staying active in their communities. However, eligibility for an older person’s bus pass in England is set in legislation at the state pension age, which is currently 66. That link reflects changes in longevity and helps to ensure that the scheme remains equitable and affordable over time. Any change to national eligibility would therefore need to be considered carefully.
“The concessionary travel scheme is a significant national entitlement. Local authority spending on concessionary travel, supported by the Government, is around £795 million a year. Changing the national statutory eligibility would carry substantial additional recurring costs.
“At the end of last year, we confirmed long-term investment of more than £3 billion over the next three years to support local leaders and bus operators across the country, in order to improve local bus services for millions of passengers over the remainder of this spending period.“
To view the debate click here.