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Currently, people aged 60 and over and eligible disabled people are entitled to free off-peak bus travel within their own local authority area. But from April 2008 the Government will invest up to an extra £250m each year to extend the scheme to include off-peak local bus travel anywhere in England.

The new passes will also incorporate ITSO 'smartcard' technology to boost the roll out of 'smart ticketing'. This will help minimise fraud and ensure that the number of journeys made by pass-holders are accurately recorded for reimbursement purposes between local authorities and bus operators. In areas where buses are not yet fitted with smartcard readers the cards can still be shown to the driver as a traditional 'flash' card upon boarding.

An example of what the new pass might look like

Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly said:

"We have already seen how popular concessionary fares are. Bus use in England rose by 4% in the year after we introduced free, off-peak local travel. Now we are extending their entitlement, millions of older and disabled people will be able to use their passes while visiting friends and family anywhere in England as well as to access local services."

"We hope that allowing eligible passengers to use their passes across local boundaries will continue to encourage even more people to get the most from the bus services available across the country."

"By introducing smartcard technology from the outset we are paving the way for full smart ticketing across the country. This would speed up boarding, cut fraud and open up the possibility of using the same pass to access a range of other local services such as libraries and leisure facilities."

Commenting on the scheme, Alan Burnett, senior policy officer at Help the Aged, said:

"Millions of older and disabled people rely on local bus services. From April, they will be able to save money when they cross local boundaries or visit friends and family in other parts of England."

More from Directgov

• Free travel and concessions (travel and transport section)
• Bus passes (Over 50s section)

Related websites

• Concessionary bus fares - Department for Transport Opens new window