This page is about the National Bus Concession or Mobility Vouchers for older or disabled people. Please read it carefully before making an application.

Who Qualifies for Concessionary Travel

If you are a permanent resident in the Borough of Swindon and fall into any one or more of the following groups, you may be entitled to concessionary travel:

• Women and men who have reached the qualifying age (which depends on your date of birth - please see the Concessionary Travel Eligibility Date Table).
• Is severely sight impaired (blind) or partially sighted
• Is profoundly or severely deaf
• Is without speech
• Has a disability, or has suffered an injury, which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his/her ability to walk. The applicant either a) cannot walk or b) virtually unable to walk or c) the exertion required to walk would ‘constitute a danger to their life or would be likely to lead to a serious deterioration in their health’
• Does not have arms or has long-term loss of the use of both arms
• Has a learning disability, that is, a state of arrested or incomplete development of mind, which includes significant impairment of intelligence and social functioning. These disabilities must have started before adulthood and have a lasting effect on development.
• Would, if he/she applied for the grant of a licence to drive a motor vehicle under Part III of the Road Traffic Act 1988, have his/her application refused pursuant to Section 92 of the act (physical fitness) otherwise than on the ground of persistent misuse of drugs or alcohol
• Is so severely disabled as to require the assistance of a companion in order to travel on public transport, Swindon Dial-A-Ride or other community transport.
  
  (For more details please see the Dial A Ride website (www.dialarideswindon.org.uk).)

Your Options

There are two options of getting help with the cost of transport. You can only choose one option. You cannot change your chosen option unless your circumstances change significantly.

• Option 1: New National Bus Concession
• Option 2: Travel Voucher Scheme (Mobility Impaired)

Blind Person's Bus Pass

For people who are registered Severely Sight Impaired (Blind), a Blind Persons' Bus Pass is also available. The Blind Person's application form is available as a downloadable pdf file:

Blind Person's Concessionary Travel Application Form (22Kb)

Limits of Use

Option 1 can be used 9.30am-11.00pm Monday to Friday. But you may use your Bus Pass at any time on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays.

It can also be used on Service 23, 9.20am from Stratton Park and on the Vbus.

The Vbus is a daily bus service (Mondays to Fridays) commencing at 9.00am following a semi-fixed route. The bus will pick up from:

• Marston Meysey
• Castle Eaton
• Hannington Wick
• Hannington
• Hampton
• Stanton Fitzwarren
• Sevenhampton

And it will drop at:

• Orbital Retail Park (North Swindon Centre)
• Swindon Town Centre leaving at 12.30pm

The Vbus is a flexible ‘door-to-door’ service for people who do not have access to transport. It is operated by V-Car Limited on behalf of Swindon Borough Council.

Option 2 can be used to travel at any time.

Companion Allowance

If you are unable to travel without assistance, you may be able to apply for a companion allowance. For more details please telephone Swindon Direct on 01793 445500.

Other Information

Certain bus services have been identified as not eligible for free travel. A service is not an eligible service if:

• More than half of the accommodation on the vehicle by means of which the service is provided can be reserved by members of the general public in advance of travel (e.g. coach travel such as National Express coaches)
• It is intended to operate for less than six consecutive weeks (like the once-a-week bus service to the market at Morton in Marsh)
• It is operated primarily for the purposes of tourism or because of the historical interest of the vehicle (e.g. town or city tour buses)
• It is a bus substitution service; (e.g. for rail passengers transferred by bus or coach because of rail work repairs)
• The fare for the service includes a special amenity element (e.g. where parking charges are included in the bus fare for Park and Ride services)

Data Protection Act

The information you provide will be used to administer the Concessionary Travel Scheme.

Swindon Borough Council is under a duty to protect the public funds it administers, and to this end may use the information you have provided as part of this application for the prevention and detection of fraud. It may also share this information with other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds for these purposes.

For further information please see: National Fraud Initiative or contact

Internal Audit Section
Swindon Borough Council
Civic Offices
Euclid Street
Swindon
SN1 2JH

Under the Data Protection Act you can see your own personal information. For more information please see: Access to Your Personal Information.

For any other queries about Data Protection, please contact:

The Data Protection Officer
Swindon Borough Council
Civic Offices
Euclid Street
Swindon
SN1 2JH

Further Information and Advice

You can also get information at the council offices in:

• Haydon Wick
• Highworth
• Stratton St Margaret
• Wroughton

We have also informed organisations such as Age Concern and the Swindon Coalition of Disabled People, as well as numerous clubs, day centres, and residential and nursing homes, so you may be able to talk about concessionary travel there as well.

An information sheet covering arrangements for the scheme is available as a downloadable PDF file:

Concessionary Travel Information Leaflet (23Kb)

How to Apply

In Person at Swindon Direct One Stop Shop

You can download the Concessionary Travel Application form and then apply in person at Swindon Direct One Stop Shop.

Applications will only be accepted up to a maximum of 10 days before the date you become eligible for your bus pass. You will need to take with you your proof of entitlement (please see below).

Your photograph will be taken at Swindon Direct One Stop Shop and a pass will be ordered. The photograph will be kept to enable future ID cards to be printed.

Online

You can apply using the online application form:

Concessionary Travel Online Application Form

Please note: If you apply online, when your pass is ready you will still need to collect it in person and show your proof of entitlement (please see below).

Download an Application Form

The application form is available as a downloadable PDF file:

Concessionary Travel Application Form (22Kb)

The completed form and photograph should be sent to:

Concessionary Travel Office
Civic Offices
Euclid Street
Swindon
SN1 2JH

When your pass is ready, you will need to collect it in person and show your proof of entitlement.

How to Prove your Entitlement

If you qualify for travel as an older person, you will need to show documentary evidence of both your age and address as follows:

For your age, one of the following:

• Driving licence
• Passport
• Medical card
• Birth certificate (and marriage certificate if applicable)
• Other official documentary evidence

For your address, one of the following:

• Driving licence
• Council Tax bill
• Recent utilities bill, e.g. gas, electricity or telephone (this must be addressed to the applicant)
• Other official documentary evidence.

To qualify under the disabled categories you must be of fare-paying age, and you will need to provide additional information to support your application.

If you have any of the following, then you qualify for the New National Bus Pass or Mobility Vouchers:

• Vision Services Card (Severe Sight Impaired or Partially Sighted)
• Disabled Parking Badge
• Higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• War Pensioner’s Mobility Supplement

If you do not have any of the above, then please contact Swindon Direct 01793 445500 for more details.

Costs

Please note the Council is not liable to reimburse any costs incurred from applicants in proving entitlement.

How to Collect Your Pass

When your pass has been produced you will be notified that it is ready to collect. You will need to collect it in person with your proof of entitlement. If you are unable to collect it within 14 days from being notified please let us know.

Please collect your pass from the Swindon Direct One-stop-shop. For details of the address and opening hours, please visit the Swindon Direct web page.

We keep a copy of all concessionary pass holders photograph to enable future ID cards to be printed. Photographs can be updated by e-mail or at Swindon Direct One Stop Shop as required.

Please remember to bring your proof of entitlement with you when you collect your pass.

Further Information

More details on Concessionary Travel are available on the Department for Transport website (www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/regional/buses/concessionary).