The project to enable unlimited free travel will cost about £60 million
Round-the-clock free travel will be given to eligible bus pass holders under prime minister Andy Burnham’s new rules.
The decision to lift time limits on concessionary passes is aimed at easing the cost of living.
It comes as Mr Burnham introduced a series of measures to tackle rising living costs, including removing VAT from electricity bills, capping bus fares at £2, and lowering business rates for pubs.
So, who is eligible for 24-hour free bus travel and when will the new rules come into effect?
Holders of disabled bus passes across England will now be able to travel at any time of the day for free.
The scheme could benefit about a million people by encouraging them into work and helping to reduce the cost of living.
Currently, disabled bus passes are restricted to weekday travel between 9.30am and 11pm, except where local authorities choose to fund additional hours.
Government intervention will now end these time restrictions across the entire country from next year.
Mr Burnham said: “Buses are a lifeline for so many people – making it easier to get to work, education and healthcare.
“It’s simply not right that many disabled people cannot travel using their pass during certain times of the day. So we’re fixing that. Disabled people will now have unlimited free bus travel 24/7.
“I did it before in Greater Manchester and I’m proud to do it now for the whole country. This is part of our ongoing action to bring back hope and give people some much-needed breathing space on the cost of living.”
Disabled people in Scotland and Wales are already entitled to free bus travel. In Northern Ireland, blind people and disabled war veterans are able to travel for free and a half-price fare for everyone else who holds a disabled bus pass.
Liberal Democrat Tom Gordon welcomed the change after campaigning for reform for almost two years.
The MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough said: “Disabilities don’t start at 9 o’clock, neither should disabled bus passes and soon enough they won’t. This is a huge win for the disabled community.”
The new changes will come into force next year on 1 April.
The £60 million project will be funded through existing departmental allocations, with £40 million coming from the Department for Work and Pensions and £20 million from the Department for Transport.
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