Disabled person's bus pass eligibility and evidence

Eligibility

You will be eligible if you are registered or entitled to be registered with us as:

• blind (severely sight impaired)
• partially sighted (sight impaired)

Blind or severely sight impaired

You can generally be registered blind (severely sight impaired) if you cannot see the top letter of the eye test chart from three metres or less away even with glasses if you wear them.

You may also be eligible to register as blind if you can read the top letter of an eye test chart at three metres but not six metres away if your field of vision is also severely restricted.

Partially sighted or sight impaired

You can be registered as partially sighted (sight impaired) if you have a full field of vision but can only read the top letter of the eye test chart from six metres or less away even with glasses if you wear them.

You may also be eligible if you can read the next three lines at the same distance but your field of vision is either moderately or severely restricted.

Evidence

We accept:

• a Certificate of Vision Impairment (CVI) completed by an ophthalmologist
• a BD8 form - these were issued from 1990 but have now been replaced by the CVI
• evidence that you are registered with us or another local authority as being blind (severely sight impaired) or partially sighted (sight impaired)
• a Blue Badge - your bus pass will expire at around the same time as your Blue Badge
• evidence that you are a resident at a registered home for the blind or partially sighted
• for veterans, the reasons for decisions letter from the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme

Eligibility

Hearing loss is graded as:

• 25 to 39 dBHL is mild - cannot hear whispers
• 40 to 69 dBHL is moderate - cannot hear conversational speech
• 70 to 94 dBHL is severe - able to hear some words when shouted
• over 95 dBHL is profound - cannot hear and understand even a shouted voice

You will only be eligible if your hearing loss is severe or profound, that is, greater than 70dBHL in both ears.

Evidence

We accept:

• confirmation from a local authority that you are registered as profoundly or severely deaf
• a letter from an audiologist or an audiological report which shows that you have hearing loss of more than 70dBHL in both ears
• for veterans, the reasons for decision letter from the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme

Eligibility

You will be eligible if you cannot communicate in any language. For example, you cannot make clear basic oral requests or you cannot ask specific questions to clarify instructions.

You will not be eligible if:

• you have speech but it is too low or difficult to understand, for example, because you have a severe stammer
• you cannot speak English but you can speak another language

Evidence

We accept:

• evidence that you have been awarded eight or more points for the communicating verbally part of Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• a letter from social services or another appropriate organisation but not from a GP that says you are without speech
• documents that show that you are without speech

Eligibility

You will be eligible if:

• you cannot walk at all
• you can only move around by swinging through crutches and this is long term
• you cannot walk more than 64 metres without severe discomfort
• it takes you an excessive amount of time to walk a short distance, for example, it takes you five minutes to walk 100 metres
• the effort or exertion to walk would create a danger to your life or would likely lead to a serious deterioration in your health

Evidence

We accept:

• your Blue Badge if it was issued under mobility - your bus pass will expire at around the same time as your Blue Badge
• a current Personal Independence Payment (PIP) award letter including the points breakdown showing you have eight or more points for moving around
• a current Disability Living Allowance (DLA) award letter showing you get the mobility component at the higher rate
• for veterans: proof of getting a War Pensions Mobility Supplement or the reasons for decision letter from the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme

Eligibility

You will be eligible if you have:

• both arms but cannot carry out day to day tasks
• limb reduction defects of both arms
• bilateral upper limb amputation
• a medical condition which affects the use of your arms, for example, muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injury or motor neuron disease

You will not be eligible if you have one arm but can carry out day to day tasks.

Evidence

We accept:

• documents that show that you have lost the use of your arms long term - 12 months or more
• a Blue Badge - your bus pass will expire at around the same time as your Blue Badge
• a letter from a medical practitioner who is treating you - this cannot be your GP
• for veterans, the reasons for discussions letter from the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme

Eligibility

You will be eligible if you have a learning disability that includes significant impairment of intelligence and social functioning skills. This can include downs syndrome and other learning disabilities.

Your learning disability must have started before you became an adult.

You will not be eligible if:

• you have dyslexia, dyspraxia or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• your intelligence is not impaired even if your disability affects your social functioning
• you are applying because of mental health problems
• your condition started after you became an adult, for example, a brain injury

Evidence

We accept evidence that you:

• have significant impairment of your intelligence and significant impairment of your social functioning
• are known to a local authority as having a learning disability
• are a resident at a registered care home for the disabled
• go to a registered special school

We may also ask you to send us a statement of Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) or special educational needs (SEN).

We cannot accept:

• evidence that you have learning difficulties
• evidence that you have Asperger's syndrome or Autistic Spectrum Disorder
• a letter that says you would benefit from having a bus pass
• a letter asking for you to be considered for a bus pass

Eligibility

You do not need to apply for a driving licence to qualify. However, if you have a driving licence, you cannot apply in this category.

You will be eligible if you have been or would be refused a driving licence because you:

• have epilepsy and your current experience of seizures means you would not be eligible for a driving licence
• have diabetes and have suffered more than one hypoglycemic attack where you needed help from another person in the last 12 months
• have a severe mental disorder
• cannot read a registration plate in good light from 20.5 metres away even with glasses if you wear them

You will not be eligible if:

• you have not been or would not be refused a driving licence because of your condition
• your reason for not being able to drive is temporary like a driving ban or recovering from surgery
• you have been refused a driving licence because of misusing drugs or alcohol

Dementia

Current guidance from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) says you may be able to drive but you must tell DVLA that you have dementia. They will then decide if you can have a licence or not and send you a letter telling you their decision.

If DVLA decide you cannot have a licence and you can send us evidence of that decision, you will be eligible for a disabled person's bus pass.

Evidence

You will need to provide evidence showing that you have been or would be denied a driving licence. If you have been denied a driving licence, you also need to provide evidence showing if the refusal of the licence is permanent or temporary.

The reason for being denied a driving licence must not be because of misusing drugs or alcohol.

We can accept:

• a letter from DVLA showing that your driving licence has been refused or revoked after an assessment
• a letter from DVLA accepting that you have surrendered your driving licence and evidence confirming the relevant medical condition that would cause your licence to be refused or revoked
• information from a medical professional other than a GP which shows that you would be refused a driving licence - this cannot be because of drug or alcohol dependency 
• evidence which shows that you have one of the disabilities or conditions covered by Section 92 of the Road Traffic Act 1988