Free transport pass is extended

Free off-peak bus travel for pensioners and disabled travellers is being extended so they can travel anywhere in England using a single pass. But some councils believe the £1bn the government has made available for funding may not be enough.

Up to 11m people will benefit from the National Travel Pass, which also allows half-price travel on local trains.

The Local Government Association said at least three councils have not been allocated enough of the money.

The Department for Transport said it was a "fundamentally important scheme" for elderly and disabled people.

Until now bus passes have only been valid locally and the government has made a billion pounds available to cover the cost of offering free travel. But the Local Government Association said Nottingham, Brighton and Hove, and Southampton councils face a shortfall.

There are also concerns that in some areas, the passes may not have been printed in time for the scheme's launch on Tuesday.

Age Concern wants the passes to include OAPs not on a bus route or who are physically unable to use buses or trains. "Tokens for other transport, such as taxis, should be offered as an alternative. This would help older people living in areas without buses and those with health problems for whom bus travel isn't suitable."

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland already offer free travel schemes.

A Department for Transport spokesman said: "We believe this is a fundamentally important scheme that will help elderly and disabled people to travel more freely, such as visiting friends or family who live outside their local areas. Due in part to cost implications, there are currently no plans to extend concessionary bus travel into peak times or on to other modes of transport. Local authorities still have the option, at their own expense, to extend the scheme for their residents. This is right because they know about local needs and circumstances."

And a Commons committee has warned that not all buses are equipped to read the 11m free travel "smart cards" which have been issued to OAPs.