Disabled bus pass holders in Hampshire will once again be able to travel free on local buses at any time on weekdays from April 2027, following changes to the national concessionary travel scheme.
Hampshire County Council has confirmed it will restore all-day weekday travel from April 1, 2027, bringing its local scheme into line with new government requirements.
The change follows a government announcement earlier this summer that all-day weekday travel for disabled pass holders would become a statutory entitlement from April 2027.
The council confirmed its plans following a question from Cllr Paula Ferguson at a full council meeting on October 1. Although the question could not be answered during the meeting because of time constraints, the authority subsequently confirmed it would amend its scheme.
The move reverses part of a series of changes introduced in April 2025, when the council withdrew two discretionary concessions as part of wider budget-saving measures.
Those changes ended free travel for disabled pass holders before 9.30am and after 11pm on weekdays. The council also scrapped the companion pass, which had allowed carers to travel free alongside disabled passengers who could not use buses independently.
The cuts prompted a campaign by disabled residents, campaigners and opposition councillors, who warned that the restrictions could make it harder for people to travel to work, attend medical appointments, access education and carry out voluntary work.
More than 2,000 people signed a petition calling on the county council to reverse the decision.
At the time, Hampshire County Council said it would reconsider the changes if the Department for Transport introduced all-day weekday travel or a companion pass as part of the national concessionary travel scheme.
The restoration of all-day weekday travel will provide disabled pass holders with greater flexibility when using local bus services, removing the previous time restrictions.
However, there has been no indication that the companion pass will also be reinstated, meaning the changes will not restore all the concessions withdrawn in April 2025.
The scheme remains outside the national concessionary travel programme, although the new statutory entitlement will require the council to provide all-day weekday travel from April 2027.