A mandatory bus concession for older and disabled people has been in place since 2001. The scheme has gradually been extended since its introduction and since April 2008 has provided free off-peak local bus travel to eligible older and disabled people anywhere in England.  It is administered locally by Leicestershire County Council for all residents of the county, City residents are covered by a similar scheme administered by the Leicester City Unitary Authority.

Automatic eligibility for some severely injured service personnel and veterans who have been awarded a lump sum payment under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme came in to force on 30 August 2011, but this is not yet mentioned on our application form.  To apply under this category, you should complete sections 1 to 4 inclusive of the disabled persons' application form below, and enclose either your Notice of Walking Disability letter from the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency, or the Reasons For Decision letter issued to you by the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency when your lump sum payment under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme was awarded.

To use your bus pass on local buses within England, show your pass to the driver as you get on. If the bus is fitted with a reader, touch the reader with your pass. You don't need a ticket to travel, but on some services the driver may give you a zero-priced ticket to record their passenger numbers.

You can’t use your bus pass on services:

- where most seats can be reserved, like coaches

- that run for less than six weeks, like shuttle buses to special events

- for tourists, like open-top bus tours, or services on vehicles of historical interest

- that are running instead of a train - 'rail replacement' services

- where the fare includes 'extras', like refreshments or car parking

However, many coach operators offer half-price travel for older or disabled people. Ask the coach company for more information.

You can view a set of Frequently asked Questions about Concessionary travel by clicking on the link to the word documents below.

Leicestershire Concessionary Travel Scheme - Frequently Asked Questions (Word Document 259 KB)

Frequently Asked Questions about smartcards, smart ticketing and the Leicester and Leicestershire OneCard project (Word document)

Directgov is the UK government's online service for people in the United Kingdom ; providing a single point of access to Public sector information and services. Please click the link below to acccess the Directgov page on free and concessionary travel for people in England.

Please click on the link below to see information about each scheme and to access the printable application forms.

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