Wiltshire Council has confirmed that from 1 July, concessionary bus passes for older and disabled people will only be valid for travel after 9.30 am on weekdays or at any time during weekends.
The council had previously agreed with bus operators to temporarily lift the pre-9.30am restriction from 1 September 2022 until 31 March 2023 to encourage more people to return to public transport after lifting COVID restrictions. After an encouraging uptake of the scheme, the offer was extended twice but will end after 30 June.
Before 9.30 am, concessionary bus pass holders can still take advantage of the £2 or less single bus fare promotion until 31 October. Most normal bus services offer single bus fares at a capped fare price of £2 or less if the fare was originally less than £2.
Cllr Caroline Thomas, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “We’d like to thank our bus operators who have worked with us on this initiative and also for allowing us to extend it for much longer than we’d originally planned. The scheme has helped to boost the numbers of residents using bus travel in Wiltshire, as well as helping to reduce our carbon emissions and improve air quality – all key priorities in our Business Plan.
“Residents with concessionary bus passes who want to travel prior to 9.30am will be able to make use of the Government’s £2 bus fare cap scheme, which has now been extended further to the end of October. It’s been great to see so many taking advantage of this offer so far, and with the summer months upon us, bus travel is an ideal way to explore Wiltshire’s many attractions.”
To find out more, people should see www.wiltshire.gov.uk/transport-public-transport-bus.
People can find out more about how to apply for a concessionary bus pass at www.wiltshire.gov.uk/article/1720/Concessionary-bus-pass.
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