Free bus travel for pensioners could be axed if the Government doesn’t step in to plug a £452 million shortfall in local spending, a lobby group has warned. Over £450 million was spent by councils across England on providing older and disabled people with free off-peak bus travel in the last year, piling pressure on already-strained budgets, according to the Local Government Association (LGA).
The association has called on the UK Government to step in to protect the vital service, which could mean the difference between free travel being scrapped for eligible people across the country, including pensioners, those with disabilities and schoolchildren. The LGA said the £452 million gap is the difference between Government funding for the scheme and the actual journey numbers over the last year. It has called on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to plug the multi-million-pound shortfall in her upcoming Spending Review, which is set to “assess the sector’s future needs”.
Following the Prime Minister’s announcement that UK defence spending would rise to 2.5% in the next three years, vulnerable people in England are more afraid than ever that they will be targeted for further cost-cutting.
“Wouldn’t that gap be made up instantly if just a few billionaires were taxed properly,” one frustrated traveller wrote on social media, while another said it was “traitorous” to withdraw services from old-age pensioners.
It comes after Labour introduced a new hiked fare cap of £3 last year, laying blame at the feet of the outgoing Tory Government, which it said hadn’t allocated funds to continue to previous £2 policy.
Adam Hug, transport spokesperson for the LGA, said: “Free bus passes provide a vital lifeline for many in our communities, allowing vulnerable residents to go shopping, visit family and friends and attend appointments.”
“Councils want to keep this scheme running but cannot keep having to find nearly half a billion pounds a year from their own overstretched budgets to make up the shortfall,” he added, “Money which instead could be used to help other people in need to get to work or college.
“By using the Spending Review to plug this gap and give councils the long-term funding they need, we can help government meet its own objectives of breaking down barriers to employment and opportunity, while boosting inclusive economic growth.”
A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said: “We fully recognise [that] free bus passes are vital to many and prevent loneliness, provide access to services and keep people connected to their loved ones.
“We’re already in the process of making ambitious reforms to the bus sector including on how funding is allocated. Our priority is to deliver long-term funding certainty to local authorities and operators to improve services, increase patronage and ensure free passes are protected.
“We are investing over £1 billion into buses which has meant we have been able to avoid a cliff-edge fare hike and keep fares capped at £3 this year, whilst supporting local areas to improve services and reliability, and the ongoing Spending Review will assess the sector’s future funding needs.”
