Older person's bus pass

You can check when you will be eligible for a free bus pass using the GOV.UK state pension checker. You are able to apply online two weeks before you become eligible.

Check when you are eligible for a free bus pass

You will need to provide supporting evidence and include this with your application. The following documents are accepted:

People who live abroad

Please provide evidence you are a resident within North Yorkshire for more than six months of the year. Accepted evidence is the same as listed for address and age evidence above.

Passes can only be used within England and are therefore not valid for travel in other areas of the UK such as Scotland and Wales. Your pass is eligible for travel in North Yorkshire and York on local bus services at any time except between 6am and 9am on weekdays. There are a small number of journeys that are an exception to this where your pass is eligible for travel and these journeys are listed below.

In other areas of England passes generally can only be used from 9.30 am to 11pm weekdays, and anytime on weekends and bank holidays, however it may be worth checking with the area’s authority before you travel. Although your pass will be valid for off peak bus travel in London, it does not allow you to enjoy the additional benefits of a London Freedom Pass as these apply to London residents only.

You can use your pass on the following eligible journeys.

Exceptions to using your pass

You can use the pass on all registered local bus services in England except: 

• you cannot use the pass on long distance coach services
• passes are not valid on local park and ride services but discounted fares are available
• passes are not valid on services that operate primarily for the purposes of tourism

Services on which passes are not valid

Other service types

Generally community transport demand responsive services operated under Section 19 permit are not eligible services and concessionary pass holders are not entitled to free travel. A discounted fare will often be offered.

• the use of bus passes are subject to the terms and conditions of the North Yorkshire and York scheme as well as the terms and conditions of the operator on whose vehicle the journey is being made
• all passes must be produced for inspection prior to each journey whether demanded or not, this will be done by the driver scanning the pass on a ticket machine or manually recording the journey
• bus passes remain the property of our council and are not transferable and hey may only be used by the person whose name and photograph appear on them (any attempt to use a bus pass fraudulently will result in the pass being withdrawn)
• only one pass is permitted per eligible resident for fraud prevention purposes
• Passes will not be valid if they are out of date, illegible, damaged or altered - these may not work on the ticketing machines and the operator will have the right to confiscate the pass should it be used in any of these conditions
• possession of a bus pass gives no priority over other passengers and does not guarantee any person the right to a seat on any such vehicle
• bus passes are not valid on taxis, rail services, tour buses, express coach, park and ride or coach services, they apply to eligible local bus services only
• we reserve the right to amend the terms of the travel concession scheme to withdraw, amend or replace any pass
• if you originally applied for a disabled person concessionary bus pass but either didn’t request the companion enhancement or didn’t qualify, you will automatically be issued an older person bus pass if you are old enough - this means your bus pass will automatically renew every five years without you having to do anything (you will need to let us know if your circumstances change, information on how to do this is under the change of circumstances section

Pass holders must comply with our policies for bus pass usage. Further details regarding these can be found on our website under the relevant sections

For information on what we do with your data, please see our privacy notice.

You are obliged to notify us if your pass is lost or stolen to enable us to prevent the pass being used fraudulently. Your old pass will be hotlisted during this process meaning it will no longer be accepted on services, if this happens the operator is in their right to confiscate your bus pass. This is to reduce the number of cancelled cards in circulation as it reduces the chances of passes being used fraudulently.

Lost, stolen or damaged bus pass

If you have lost or damaged your bus pass, there will be a charge of £10 for a replacement.

If your pass has been stolen, and you have an incident number from the police, we can issue your replacement pass free of charge.

Apply for a replacement bus pass

If you cannot apply online, please contact us. 

Hotlisted bus pass

Once a pass is ‘hotlisted’ it means it has been electronically cancelled and will no longer be accepted on services. If you try to use a hotlisted pass then the operator is in their right to confiscate this from you.

There are three main reasons why a bus pass will have been cancelled:

1. the pass was reported as lost or stolen and it was replaced - you may have the new pass at home or in another bag or wallet
2. we wrote to you about your pass and the letter was returned by the Royal Mail - have you changed address recently?
3. we wrote to you asking for up to date proof of eligibility or asking for you to return the pass - do you need to confirm your eligibility?

Bus passes not reading correctly

Sometimes a pass may fail to work on the bus card reader. In this case, it can still be used if it is in date, not hotlisted and the driver is satisfied that the picture on the pass is the holder. As the pass is not hotlisted, it is unlikely it will be withdrawn, you should still contact ourselves to let us know it didn’t work as you may need to order a replacement pass.

If you move away from North Yorkshire then you will no longer be entitled to a concessionary bus pass from us. You must return your pass and apply for a pass from your new local authority. If the pass holder dies, please return the pass to us.

If you move to another part of North Yorkshire, you should contact us.

If you originally applied for a concessionary bus pass but either didn’t request the companion enhancement or didn’t qualify, you will automatically be issued an older persons bus pass if you are old enough. This means your bus pass will automatically renew every five years without you having to do anything.

However, if you now require a companion to travel with you, you should contact us so we can issue you with a companion pass. Details on companion passes and the evidence you will need to provide for this can be found on our disabled person's bus pass page.

There may be circumstances when the bus pass is no longer required. If the pass holder has passed away you can use the tell us once process and hand the pass in at the time of registering the death.

If the pass holder has passed away but the tell us once process is not used, please post the pass with a covering letter including the following information:

• name of pass holder
• pass reference number
• reason pass is no longer required, for example, deceased, moved, surplus to requirements etc.

If you move away from North Yorkshire then you will no longer be entitled to a concessionary bus pass from us. You must return your pass and apply for a pass from your new local authority.

Please post to: Service Delivery Team, North Yorkshire Council, County Hall, Racecourse Lane, Northallerton, North Yorkshire DL7 8AD.

If you need any help applying for your bus pass, please contact us during office hours.

1. Application of scheme

1. We and City of York Council (the “issuing authorities”) have jointly adopted this concessionary fares scheme (“the scheme”). The scheme will be administered by us (the “lead authority”) on behalf of the issuing authorities.
2. These Particulars of the scheme and arrangements for reimbursement are issued on 7 March February 2024 and replace the previous scheme of 28 February 2022. This scheme will come in to effect on 1 April 2024, and continue until 31 March 2027 or earlier as amended.
3. The conditions contained herein are binding on operators and the issuing authorities.

2. Scheme area

1. The scheme area is that covered by the administrative areas of us and City of York Council.

3. Times of validity - “relevant time”

1. Passes issued under this scheme or issued by any other travel concession authority in England, are valid for concessionary travel on journeys starting at any point in the scheme area, at the following times:
   
   1. at any time on a Sunday or Saturday or any English bank holiday
   2. at any time Monday to Friday except between 6am and 9am
   3. at other such times as may be agreed between the lead authority and the relevant operator
   4. on relevant sections of specific services which operate prior to 9am Monday to Friday. (see also ‘When can you use your bus pass).
2. Passes held by people resident within the City of York who are registered as blind are valid for concessionary travel on journeys starting and finishing wholly within the City of York boundary at any time.

4. Journeys and services on which concessions are to be provided - “eligible journeys” and “eligible services”

1. An eligible journey is an unbroken ‘through journey’, in one direction, made on an eligible service beginning at a relevant time. “Through journey” means one made on a single advertised service using one vehicle (or where any change of vehicle is made solely for operational reasons, whether planned or otherwise), or an advertised connecting journey, which a fare paying passenger could make on a single ticket (other than an unlimited-travel period or area network ticket).
2. An eligible service is as defined in the travel concessions (eligible services) Order 2002, as amended by the travel concessions (eligible services) (Amendment) Order 2009.
3. The lead authority may include services not considered eligible services under the regulations and may subsequently remove such services from the scheme at a later date. Operators will be notified of any such arrangements by the lead authority.

5. Groups of persons eligible - “eligible persons”

1. People in the following groups who are resident in the issuing authorities’ administrative area are entitled to the issue of a concessionary travel pass under the scheme;
   1. Elderly Persons – as defined in section 146 Transport Act 2000 as amended by SI 2010/459 the travel concessions (eligibility) (England) Order 2010.
   2. Disabled Persons – as defined in section 146 Transport Act 2000.
   3. Disabled Persons Companion – as specified by the issuing authorities.

6. English national concessionary passes and type of concession

1. The scheme uses ITSO complaint smartcard passes, as specified by concessionary but travel (permits) (England) Regulations 2008, and displaying the holders name, likeness, the issuing authorities’ logo, expiry date, reference number and any other details pursuant to the administration of the scheme.
2. The concession type will be indicated by a coloured strip on the right side of the pass; a blue strip for those eligible on the grounds of age and an orange strip for those eligible on the grounds of disability.
3. Companion element will display a “+C” logo in the top right corner of the pass to a standard design. No separate pass will be issued for a companion.
4. Passes held by persons resident within the City of York who are registered as blind will display in the top section of the pass a standard “eye” logo, illustrating their enhanced free travel entitlement as specified in section 3b.
5. On presentation of a valid concessionary travel pass on an eligible journey, at a relevant time the holder will be entitled to a concession consisting of a waiver of the fare for the journey.
6. Passes that do not conform to the standard designs, or are otherwise invalid, should not be accepted for concessionary travel under any circumstances. Passes that are out of date, or fail to register on a smart enabled ticket machine may be accepted in accordance with guidance issued by the lead authority. See annex 1.

7. Local variations and scheme enhancements

1. The lead authority may vary enhancements to the scheme at any time as may be agreed between issuing authorities and the relevant operators. Operators will be given at least 28 days’ notice of any such changes, prior to their implementation date.
2. Either of the issuing authorities may offer travel tokens, taxi vouchers or rail passes as an alternative to the statutory travel concessions under the scheme and may insist where relevant that these are accepted on services included within the scheme.

8. Right of participation

1. Operators are required to provide the statutory minimum level of concessionary travel, in accordance with the Transport Act 2000 (as amended), and persistent failure to do so is a criminal offence.
2. Any operator of an eligible service, operating in the scheme area, has a right to participate in the scheme, and to be reimbursed in accordance with the current arrangements for reimbursement. Any new eligible service will automatically be admitted to the scheme; the operator should notify the scheme administrator accordingly.
3. The lead authority may require an operator to participate in discretionary elements of the scheme, by serving a participation notice under S97 of the Transport Act 1985.
4. The lead authority shall give no less than 28 days’ notice to operators of any proposed changes to the scheme, including the arrangements for reimbursement, and 3 months’ notice of any decision to terminate the scheme or any part of it. The period of such notice may however be shortened by mutual agreement.
5. The lead authority reserves the right to exclude from the scheme any service which does not qualify under section 4, or on which the level of fares or the manner in which they are paid, in the opinion of the lead authority, are designed to deter its use for local travel.
6. Operators have a statutory right of appeal against participation in the scheme, exclusion from the scheme or the terms of reimbursement. Any matter of dispute should be raised in the first instance with the lead authority.

9. Identifying signs, logos, etc

1. The Issuing Authorities reserve the right to require operators to display on vehicles used on services on which travel concessions are available a sign or logo indicating the fact to intending passengers. They may also require operators to display a notice describing the scheme and its provisions inside each vehicle used on eligible services within the scheme area.

Published arrangements for reimbursement of operators

10. General

1. The scheme aims to ensure that all operators are treated fairly, and that they are neither better nor worse off financially as a result of their participation in the scheme, in accordance with S150 Transport Act 2000 and the travel concessions schemes regulations 1986. The reimbursement arrangements have been formulated to provide operators with appropriate reimbursement for providing concessions to those who are eligible, as defined in this notice or particulars.
2. Reimbursement arrangements have been determined in accordance with the principles of Department for Transport (DfT) ‘guidance on reimbursing bus operators (England)’. The guidance and associated reimbursement calculator can be found on the Department for Transport website. The guidance as revised November 2021 sets out the department’s preferred approach for calculating reimbursement based on the latest research and evidence available. The scheme applies the principles of the guidance and the Department for Transport methodology using the reimbursement calculator.
3. Payments due for revenue forgone and additional costs will be determined using the Department for Transport calculator. The issuing authorities will periodically review reimbursement arrangements in light of guidance and recommendations from Department for Transport. Any amendments to the scheme that result will be issued in line with the statutory notice requirement.
4. All claims and enquiries by operators should be made to the lead authority, other than operators who provide services mainly within the York area, where they should be addressed to City of York Council.
5. Reimbursement and payment due will be paid via either the standard method of calculation of reimbursement at 11 below or via the concessionary travel recovery period payment at 12 below. Payment will be made depending upon which method of payment makes the operator better off.

11. Standard method of calculation of reimbursement

1. Reimbursement due and payment is calculated using a simplified method to obtain a rate per concession (RPC).
2. The rate per concession will be applied with monthly payments calculated from the number of eligible journeys undertaken by holders of a valid concessionary travel pass multiplied by the rate per concession.
3. In future years rate per concession will be inflated using the rate from the CPT (Northern England) index or successor body.

12. Alternative method of reimbursement

1. Reimbursement arrangements may be varied in exceptional circumstances where an operator provides clear evidence that the standard method of reimbursement is not appropriate. The lead authority will consider an alternative method of reimbursement where it is evidenced that standard reimbursement arrangements do not satisfy the “no better, no worse off” principle. It will be a requirement of any operator claiming such a review to make representations to the lead authority providing full details of the basis on which the review is requested together with supporting available evidence.
2. The lead authority may agree an alternative method of reimbursement with any operator whose mileage run on eligible services wholly or partly within the scheme area is less than 150,000 miles per annum. The alternative method of reimbursement may be based on the standard method, with an adjusted reimbursement factor, or using another method as deemed appropriate by the lead authority.
3. Either issuing authority may enter in to separate reimbursement arrangements with individual operators by negotiation. Such arrangements will be binding and all reimbursement due on those operators’ eligible services will be made in accordance to the agreement, not the standard method of reimbursement.
4. Where an operator is providing a service under the terms of our contract for local bus services, the contract may specify concessionary fares reimbursement arrangements and the amounts payable. Where this is the case, all reimbursement due for concessionary travel on eligible journeys commencing in North Yorkshire and City of York will be reimbursed in accordance with the terms of the contract and not in accordance with the standard method of calculation of reimbursement contained within this scheme.
5. Where any new operator or new eligible service is admitted to the scheme the standard method of reimbursement will be applied, with the average value for reimbursement factor being used in the reimbursement calculator. The operator may request, or the lead authority may require, a review of a new service to confirm the appropriate reimbursement payable. In these circumstances the operator will provide sufficient data as may be required to enable such assessment to be carried out.

13. Supply of data and confidentiality

1. Operators are required to supply data to enable the lead authority to calculate the average fare and the number of eligible journeys. The precise specification of the information required is set out in Annex 2 or as agreed between each operator and the lead or issuing authority.
2. All operators are required to supply this data on a regular basis, normally on spreadsheet format from electronic ticketing machines, on an equivalent acceptable to the lead authority (see Annex 2). The precise specification and frequency of data returns shall be a matter to be determined between each operator and the lead authority.
3. Operators must record all concessionary journeys undertaken on their eligible services accurately, and in a manner satisfactory to the lead authority. Only journeys recorded on an electronic smartcard ticket machine system, and claims based on audible data therefrom will be regarded as satisfactory. Operators who are unable to provide data from electronic smartcard ticket machines or their equivalent may have their reimbursement due estimated by the lead authority using data from sample surveys on their services or other sources at the discretion of the lead authority.
4. Operators must provide up-to-date fare tables, ticket options, route and timetable details for each eligible service to the lead authority.
5. The issuing authorities or any agent or contractor shall hold all revenue and patronage information provided by operators in strictest confidence. This information may only be used for the purposes of scheme administration and public transport planning and monitoring.
6. The issuing authorities shall consider all revenue and patronage data supplied as exempt from disclosure under a freedom of information act 2000 request on the grounds of commercial sensitivity. Aggregated statistics and information on reimbursement payments to operators may however be published by the issuing authorities subject to all current legislative provisions.

14. Data returns and payments

1. During each monthly period each operator will receive a payment calculated from their RPC multiplied by the number of concessions for the period.
2. Payments will be made monthly in advance or monthly in arrears to suit operators’ accounting practice and preference.
3. Payment in advance will be made using the previous months actual concessionary count multiplied by the RPC, with a twelfth and final payment being paid in April and adjusted to reflect the total concessionary count for the year.
4. Payment in areas will be made using the actual concessionary count for the period multiplied by the RPC, with a 12th and final payment being paid in April and adjusted to reflect the total concessions for the year.
5. Should any operator fail to submit the required data return and supporting evidence by the specified period date, payment will be delayed until the data has been received and processed.
6. It is the responsibility of each operator to claim reimbursement and supply the required data, and neither the lead authority nor any issuing authority shall have any liability to collect or correct such information.

15. Survey and audit

1. Operators are required to allow authorised officers of either issuing authority, or their agent, to travel free of charge on their services for the purpose of carrying out surveys and related duties. Such officers should also be provided with, or afforded facilities to make, a record of the total tickets issued and revenue recorded on each journey they survey.
2. Operators must retain records of their claims and al supporting data for a minimum period of 18 months following the end of the fiscal year (for instance, 31 March) relating to each data return. The lead authority may inspect any such records as it deems necessary, at any reasonable time, and shall have the right to enter upon an operator’s premises and take copies (written and/ or electronic) of any relevant records.
3. In the event of failure or inability by an operator to maintain or produce adequate records of claims and supporting data, or failure to co-operate with the lead authority or authorised staff, the lead authority may, as its sole discretion, take any action defined in section 18.5 as if the information had not been supplied in the first instance. The lead authority may also recover any extraordinary costs incurred in investigating and rectifying the situation, including any additional survey work deemed necessary to establish the most accurate possible estimate of reimbursement due.

16. Contracts for notices and correspondence

All notices, data and other information required by the lead authority under the scheme shall be provided to the following contact point:

Integrated Passenger Transport North Yorkshire Council,
County Hall,
Northallerton,
DL7 8AH

Contact us 

Enquiries relating to operators or to passes within the City of York Council area should be addressed to:

Public Transport Service City of York Council,
West Offices,
Station Rise,
York,
YO1 6GA

Tel: 01904 551550
Email: buses@york.gov.uk

Annex 1- hotlisting instructions 

Background

From Thursday 1 November 2018, a new security check (known as ‘hotlisting’) will be phased in for all bus services across the North Yorkshire and York areas to help reduce the risk of fraud and misuse of concessionary bus passes.

What is hotlisting?

Your ticket machine will automatically detect if a concessionary bus pass has been ‘hotlisted’ by the local transport authority which issued it. This may happen because:

• The pass has been reported lost or stolen and a replacement issued.
• The pass has been reported as being used fraudulently by someone other than the rightful holder.
• The holder is no longer entitled to concessionary travel.

In many cases it is likely that the person may be innocently using a ‘hotlisted’ card with their name on it – for example if they have reported a card lost then found it again after a replacement has been issued.

A passenger with a ‘hotlisted’ concessionary bus pass will be expected to pay the required bus fare, subject to the bus operator’s policy on vulnerable passengers. The bus driver may also retain the ‘hotlisted’ bus pass so it can be returned to the local authority who issued the card as soon as possible.

Will many concessionary bus pass holders be affected?

The vast majority of concessionary bus pass holders will not be affected.

Annex 2 - Data submission template