Hampshire County Council has announced significant changes to its Concessionary Travel Scheme, set to take effect from April 1st, 2025. These adjustments will align the scheme with the national English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) criteria, impacting travel for older and disabled bus pass holders across the county.
These adjustments will align the scheme with the national English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) criteria, impacting travel for older and disabled bus pass holders across the county.
What’s Changing?
From April 1st, all Older Person and Disabled Person bus pass holders will be able to travel for free in Hampshire and throughout England between 9.30am and 11pm, Monday to Friday, as well as all day on weekends and Bank Holidays. However, several additional enhancements to the Hampshire scheme, which were previously available, will come to an end.
Companion Passes: What You Need to Know
A major change in the scheme is the discontinuation of the Disabled Plus Companion pass. While this pass will no longer be part of the Hampshire Concessionary Travel Scheme, holders of the Disabled Plus Companion pass will still be able to use their existing pass as a Standard Disabled bus pass. This allows them to continue to travel for free under the same time restrictions—9.30am to 11pm, Monday to Friday, and all day on weekends and Bank Holidays.
Importantly, companions of disabled pass holders will no longer travel for free. Anyone accompanying a Disabled bus pass holder will be required to pay for their journey.
Changes to Early Morning Travel
Previously, there was an exception allowing older and disabled bus pass holders to travel before 9.30am on weekdays on certain routes. This exception will no longer apply from April 1st. As a result, all users must now wait until 9.30am to begin using their concessionary passes on weekdays.
Council’s Statement
Hampshire County Council has stated that these changes are necessary to bring the local scheme in line with national standards. They emphasized that while some additional benefits will no longer be available, the core concessions will remain unchanged, allowing continued free travel for eligible bus pass holders during the standard hours.
For further information or questions regarding these changes, residents are encouraged to visit the Hampshire County Council website or contact their customer service team.
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