Published 3 March 2024, for 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025
1. Legislative background
1.1 The Plymouth City Council Concessionary Travel Scheme (hereinafter called “the Scheme”) is published under the power given to the City Council by:
- Section 93 of the Transport Act 1985 (hereinafter called “the 1985 Act”);
- the Transport Act 2000 (hereinafter called “the 2000 Act);
- the Travel Concession Scheme Regulation 1986 (hereinafter called “the Regulations”);
- the Travel Concessions (Eligibility) Act 2002 (hereinafter called “the Eligibility Act 2002”) and the Travel Concessions (Extensions of Entitlement) (England) Order 2005 (the 2005 Order), and;
- the Concessionary Bus Travel Act 2007.
All operators have a right of admission to the Scheme (Section 96) and the City Council has powers to oblige operators to enter the Scheme (Section 97).
The reimbursement of bus operators by TCAs for carrying concessionary passengers is governed by European regulation No 1370/2007.
1.2 A list of concessionary travel legislation including associated Statutory Instruments is provided in Schedule 1 of this document.
2. Validity of the Scheme
Concession fares shall apply only to all registered local bus services (as defined by the 1985 Act and 2000 Act) provided by an operator admitted to the Scheme or another English Concessionary Travel Authorities Scheme (except if specifically excluded within the area and times set out below) and any Plymouth City Council discretionary extensions as detailed in Section 16.
2.1 Valid Area
The free travel concession will be available on all eligible local bus services as defined by the Travel Concessions (Eligible Services) Order 2002 as amended by the Travel Concessions (Eligible Services ) (Amendment) Order 2009 operating within the Scheme area. All registered local bus services will be deemed to be eligible services except for those operated primarily for the purposes of tourism as set out in Schedule 2.
2.2 Valid Times
Persons in 4.1 and 4.2 may use the Scheme at any time on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays and up to 2300 hours Monday to Friday within the confines of Plymouth City Council’s administrative boundary and at the times detailed in 2.2.1 elsewhere in England. This is subject to annual review as detailed in Section 16.
2.2.1 Persons in 4.3 to 4.11 may use the Scheme at any time on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays but only between 09.30 and 23.00 Monday to Fridays.
3. Access to Free Travel
3.1 Participating operators will accept and record any valid ENCTS concessionary pass(es) as agreed by the City Council.
3.1.1 Valid passes will be designed in accordance with national concessionary scheme requirement.
3.1.2. An additional logo enhancement will be in place to alert drivers to the additional benefits to residents in 4.1 and 4.2.
3.1.3 Travel enhancements, beyond the statutory minimum, will only apply when the journey is being undertaken wholly within the confines of the City Council’s administrative boundary.
3.2 In all cases (both before and after 09.30) operators will be required to record travel transactions by pass type. This should be in the form of smart transactions where operators have the correct ticket machine installed. The Council shall use its discretion to upgrade and purchase new ETM’s where it feels there is a business and / or fraud saving benefit.
3.3 If a concessionary pass is not shown or is not valid or is defaced, full fare may be charged by the driver and such fares shall not be refunded to the passenger.
3.4 Where a pass has been hot-listed and subsequently electronically cancelled because it has been lost, stolen or the person it was issued to is no longer eligible it is no longer a valid pass and will not be accepted for free travel.
4. Eligible Persons
In accordance with the legislation set out in Section 1 above, the City Council has included the following persons in the Scheme, as person’s eligible to travel free of charge. It will also provide valid statutory travel permits to eligible residents of the City Council’s area to allow them to have free travel throughout England during the statutory times.
4.1 Males and females aged 80 and over.
4.2 Persons registered blind under the National Assistance Act 1948.
4.3 Males reaching the pensionable age of a female born on the same day and females of pensionable age and over.
4.4 Disabled ex-service personnel, subject to certification by DWP of the application, who are in receipt of War Pension Mobility Supplement or the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (Tariff 1-8)
4.5 Persons suffering from any disability or injury, which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to walk. The degree of impairment should be at a comparable level to that required to claim the Higher Rate Mobility Component of Disability Living Allowance or achieve a minimum score of 8 points for the ‘Moving Around’ category of Personal Independence Payment.
4.6 Persons with no arms or long term loss of the use of both arms.
4.7 Persons who would, if they applied for the grant of a licence to drive a motor vehicle under Part 111 of the Road Traffic Act 1998, have their application refused pursuant to section 92 of that Act (physical fitness) otherwise than on the grounds of persistent misuse of drugs or alcohol.
4.8 Persons who are partially sighted.
4.9 Persons who are bilaterally profoundly deaf or suffer from bilateral severe hearing loss.
4.10 Persons with a learning disability, that is a state of arrested or incomplete development of the mind which includes significant impairment of intelligence and social functioning.
4.11 Persons without speech.
5. Identification of eligible persons
5.1 All eligible persons as defined in 4.1 to 4.11 above will be required to obtain a relevant concessionary travel pass from their Local Authority showing their entitlement to free travel.
5.2 Operators will issue a concessionary fare only on production of such a valid Pass.
6. Issue of Passes
6.1 All persons in group 4.1 will be issued with a pass for a period of five (5) years.
6.2 All persons in group 4.3 will be issued with a pass for a period of five (5) years or to the day before their 80th birthday, whichever comes first.
6.3 All persons in group 4.3 will be issued with a standard elderly concessionary bus pass, even if they do meet the criteria of a qualifying disability. This will be the case unless they can prove that they are registered blind where, upon production of satisfactory evidence, a blind person’s concessionary bus pass will be issued. If the person is also over the age of 80, on production of acceptable proof they will be provided with an 80+ concessionary bus pass.
6.4 All persons in groups 4.2, 4.4, 4.8, 4.9 and 4.10 will be issued with a pass for a period of five (5) years except where the evidence provided at the time of application does not confirm that a person’s condition is permanent. Persons in these groups will be entitled to an automatic renewal as long as the original evidence provided confirms that their condition is lifelong. Where the disability is not of a permanent nature but is one which has lasted at least 12 months or which is likely to last at least 12 months and which will have a substantial effect on a person’s ability to carry out their normal day to day activities, passes will be issued for 12 months or will be linked to an expiry date contained within the evidence provided.
6.5 All persons in groups 4.5, 4.6,4.7 and 4.11 will be issued with a pass for a minimum period of 12 months, or will be linked to an expiry date contained with the original evidence provided. Evidence has to confirm that the disability has lasted at least 12 months or which is likely to last at least 12 months and which will have a substantial effect on a person’s ability to carry out their normal day to day activities.
6.6 Passes will be issued by Plymouth City Council or designated supplier or contractor and will be valid for five years or until such time at which Plymouth City Council wishes to renew the pass, as in 6.1, 6.2 and 6.4.
6.7 Passes are only available to residents of the City of Plymouth. If the holder moves outside of the City boundary, the pass must be returned to Plymouth City Council.
6.8 Applications for a pass can be made online.
6.9 Where a concessionary pass has not been used within a rolling 9 month period the City Council will deactivate the pass. If the pass holder requires a new pass they will be required to provide evidence of entitlement for a replacement pass to be issued.
6.10 All pass holders must inform the City Council of any change of circumstances including changes of address and contact details. There will be a charge of £10 for a replacement pass to be sent to a pass holder if they have failed to inform the City Council of a change of address.
6.11 All passes that are issued under the Scheme will materially remain in the ownership of Plymouth City Council.
6.12 The City Council will work with operators to identify where a concessionary pass may have been used fraudulently. Where suspected fraudulent use has been identified the City Council will retain the concessionary pass whilst the investigation is undertaken. If it is proven that the pass has been used fraudulently the City Council may pursue legal action or some other form of sanction against the individual misusing the pass and/or the pass holder themselves if they are found to have colluded directly in the fraudulent misuse.
7. Renewal of passes
7.1 As a resident’s eligibility changes a replacement pass will be issued free of charge i.e. upon reaching their 80th birthday. Residents becoming 80 years of age will need to request a new pass offering the additional entitlement if they require this prior to any replacement being sent to replace a time expired pass.
7.2 Residents who become registered blind will have to re-apply for a pass as in 6.8.
7.3 Residents whose proof of disability has time expired will have to re-apply as in 6.8. This could include time expired eligibility to Disability Living Allowance – Higher Rate Mobility Component or Personal Independence Payment where 8 points or more are scored for either the “Moving Around” or “Communicating”.
8. Replacement of damaged, lost and stolen passes
8.1 Passes that have been damaged, lost or stolen will be replaced at a charge of £10.
8.2 A £10 charge will be required for replacement passes that are renewed automatically and sent to a previous address.
8.3 Payment can be made in cash at a city library or by card online
9. Method of allowing Concessions to the Passenger
9.1 Free Travel
9.1.1 Travel for persons in 4.1 and 4.2 may use the Scheme at any time on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays and up to 23.00 hours Monday to Friday within the confines of Plymouth City Council’s administrative boundary. This is subject to review as detailed in Section 16.
9.1.2. Travel shall be free on eligible bus services across the rest of England at any time on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays and between 09.30 and 23.00 hours Monday to Friday for persons in 4.1 and 4.2
9.1.3. Free travel for persons in 4.3 to 4.11 will be permitted at any time on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays and between 09.30 and 23.00 hours Monday to Friday both within Plymouth City Council’s administrative boundary and on eligible bus services across England.
9.2 On Bus tickets
Groups 4.1 to 4.11 travelling outside of the hours of eligibility to the Scheme will be required to pay the operators standard commercial fare applicable to their journey.
9.3 Time and Journey Expired Tickets
It is assumed that for groups 4.1 to 4.11 that no time or journey expired tickets will need to be issued.
10. Reimbursement of Bus Operators
10.1. The Plymouth City Council Scheme will comply with the Travel Concessions Scheme Regulations 1986, with the principle adopted that operators should be no better and no worse off by carrying concessions passengers. The Scheme is also consistent with the Department for Transport guidance document ‘Concessionary travel for older and disabled people; guidance on reimbursing bus operators (England)’.
10.2 Reimbursement will apply to any concessionary journey, undertaken with a valid English National Concessionary Travel Pass, starting within the City boundary.
10.3 This involves a need to compensate for revenue foregone taking into account any generated trips and to provide sufficient capacity such that all those wishing to travel (both concessionary and non-concessionary passengers) may do so.
10.4 The actual number of journeys made by ENCTS pass holders under a free travel Scheme will be monitored so the amount of reimbursement paid to operators under the Scheme can be reviewed on an annual basis to ensure that payments reflect the objective that operators should be no better or worse off as a result of the Scheme. Plymouth City Council commits itself, in co-operation with participating operators, to review the Scheme on an annual basis. Such a review will have to anticipate statutory notification / publication timescales.
10.5 Operators will be reimbursed on a pence per trip basis, at a level referred to as the ‘Payment per Trip’. This sum will cover both revenue foregone and additional costs incurred in carrying generated passengers. The Council will use the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Reimbursement Calculator and its associated guidance and methodologies as the basis for estimating the Payment Per Trip for the 2024-25 Scheme year. Copies of the DfT’s guidance and the calculator that will be used can be found on GOV.UK:
Concessionary bus travel reimbursement calculator
Guidance on reimbursing bus operators for concessionary travel
10.6 The level of ‘Payment Per Trip’ will be confirmed to each operator prior to publication of the final scheme, following provision of local data, negotiations and agreement with operators.
10.7 The ‘Payment Per Trip’ will apply for the full financial year, from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. The payment level will not vary in response to any changes in commercial fare levels. Overall reimbursement payable to the operator will be based on the level of this payment and the number of trips carried.
10.8 In the case of new operators joining the concessionary scheme, the City Council will determine the appropriate payment per trip in line with the no-better-no-worse objective. This will involve an estimate of the reimbursement using the DfT calculator, guidance and preferred methodologies contained within.
11. Sales Returns
11.1 Operators must provide monthly returns of all values of concessionary transactions by service to the City Council, within 14 days of the end of the preceding month in line with the schedule produced and distributed by the City Council prior to the start of the Scheme.
12. Method of payment
12.1 Payment will be made in full on a monthly basis, based on transaction data submitted for the preceding month.
12. 2 Operators can negotiate a revised process of payment as detailed in 11.1 in agreement with Plymouth City Council.
12.3 In exceptional circumstances, and with legitimate reasoning, the council may consider alternative payment arrangements for larger operators which could include a payment in advance based on the previous months data followed by reconciliation.
13. Survey and Information from Operators
13.1 Operator sales returns as detailed in section 11 should be submitted electronically on a minimum of a monthly basis.
13.2 The City Council may require access (free of fare) to the operators’ vehicles to survey all journeys or sections of journeys, which are included in the Scheme. Operators will provide to the Council every year 3 annual season tickets or inter-operable ticketing equivalent to enable sporadic and unplanned surveys to take place.
13.3 The City Council may gather any information required from concessions passengers, but shall restrict information gathered from non-concessions passengers to the number of passengers, their journeys and fares paid.
13.4 The City Council may require data on overall fare revenue and patronage on journeys within the Scheme and reserves the right to commission independent checks as to the accuracy of any data supplied. Such data will be treated in confidence.
13.5 The City Council will continue to work with Operators who are utilising smart ticketing and ITSO functionality to process concessionary bus pass transactions during 2024-25 and beyond to agree specific details on the required process and format for the transfer of data.
14. Exception of Reimbursement Methods
Any operator has a right to be reimbursed as in section 10 above, but the City Council will reserve the right to negotiate ad hoc compensation in the following two cases:
14.1 Any operator whose vehicle normally used to provide the service has 8 or less seats available for fare paying passengers;
14.2 Any operator whose eligible total mileage within the Scheme does not exceed 150,000 miles per year.
15. Reimbursement Procedures
Any operator unhappy with the reimbursement arrangements determined by the City Council should apply to the Secretary of State for a modification of the arrangements or any proposed variations in line with section 150(2) of the 2000 Act.
16. Variations to the Scheme by the Council
16.1 The City Council reserves the right to make any variations to the Scheme provided that such variations will be published at least 4 calendar months before implementation, as required by the Eligibility Act 2002.
16.2 Enhancements to the Scheme can be made using powers of the Transport Act 1985. In such cases the Council will give an operator to whom any such period of notice applies at least 28 days prior warning.
16.3 Free travel for 4.1 and 4.2 prior to 09.30 is offered by Plymouth City Council as a discretionary extension beyond the required statutory minimum.
16.4 Plymouth City Council reserves the right to withdraw any discretion extensions as detailed in Section 16.3 with appropriate notification as in Section 16.1.
16.5 Please note the Council reserves the right to amend the scheme in line with any Concessionary Travel Recovery Strategy, or any other guidance released by the DfT after December 2023.
17. Variations by Operators
If an operator varies routes or timings, it must inform the City Council in writing at least 70 days prior to making the change.
18. Commencement Date
The Scheme commenced on 26 October 1986 and was modified on 16 May 1988, 8 April 1990, 6 September 1993, 3 April 1994, 1 December 1996, 12 July 1998, 1 August 1999, 1 May 2001, 1 June 2001, 1 November 2001, 18 August 2002, 1 April 2003, 6 July 2003, 1 September 2003, 1 September 2004, 1 April 2006, 1 April 2007, 1 April 2008, 1 April 2009, 1 June 2009, 1 April 2010, 1 April 2011, 1 April 2012, 1 April 2013, 1 April 2014, 1 April 2015, 1 April 2016, 1 April 2017, 1 April 2018, 1 April 2019,1 April 2020,1 April 2021, 1 April 2022, 1 April 2023 and 1 April 2024.
Schedule 1
Current Concessionary Bus Travel Legislation
Legislation as at 28 February 2018
- Transport Act 1985
- Transport Act 2000
- Travel Concessions (Eligibility) Act 2002
- Concessionary Bus Travel Act 2007
- SI 1986/77 – Travel Concessions Schemes Regulations 1986
- SI 1996/2711 – The Travel Concessions Schemes (Amendment) Regulations 1996
- SI 2002/1016 – Travel Concessions (Eligible Services) Order 2002
- SI 2005/3224 – Travel Concessions (Extension of Entitlement) (England) Order 2005
- SI 2008/417 – Concessionary Bus Travel (Permits) (England) Regulations 2008
- SI 2008/2091 – The Concessionary Bus Travel (Permits) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2008
- SI 2009/575 – The Travel Concessions (Eligible Services) (Amendment) Order 2009
- SI 2010/459 – The Travel Concessions (Eligibility) (England) Order 2010
- SI 2010/1179 – The Concessionary Bus Travel Act 2007 (Variation of Reimbursement and Other Administrative Arrangements) Order 2010
- SI 2011/1121 – Mandatory Travel Concession (England) Regulations 2011
European Regulation No 1370/2007 (This Regulation sets out the overarching rules for the reimbursement of public service obligations. Concessionary travel schemes are considered to be public service obligations).
Schedule 2
Eligibility of Local Bus Services
Registered local bus services shall be deemed eligible for concessionary reimbursement subject to the provisions of the legislation as set out in Schedule 2. This Schedule identifies services that are or have been operating in the Scheme area but which are deemed ineligible by the Council under the legislation. Where a new service is intended to be registered operators are advised to contact the Council for a determination of whether the prospective service would be deemed as an eligible service under the Scheme.
Service lists current or expected to operate during the period of the Scheme and correct at the time of publication, 3 March 2024, subject to change with service registration changes.
Services operated primarily for the purposes of tourism:
Service Number: None
Description: N/A
Other services:
Service Number: Falcon
Description: Coach service where more than 50% of the seats are able to be pre-booked
Service Number: PA2
Description: Football special service
Service Number: PA3
Description: Football special service
Service Number: PA4
Description: Football special service
Service Number: PA5
Description: Football special service