Introduction
The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme pass is a national pass. Each travel concession authority, in this case Somerset Council, holds responsibility for administrating the scheme in their own area. This application is only valid for Somerset residents who are of pensionable age or eligible on the grounds of disability.
The bus pass is free, but there may be an administration charge for replacing a valid pass if it has been lost, stolen or damaged.
Please read our Concessionary bus pass information leaflet (PDF 1.38MB) before you apply.
You can also use this form to apply for your bus pass – Application form for a Concessionary Travel Scheme Pass (PDF 970KB)
You can apply for a bus pass 28 days before the date you are eligible. If you are not sure of the date you become eligible, please see the Concessionary Bus Pass Frequently Asked Questions.
Eligibility
Eligibility on grounds of pensionable age
You must be a Somerset resident, having your only or main home in Somerset and be of pensionable age. If you are not sure of the date you become entitled, please use the State Pension age calculator or the Concessionary Bus Pass Frequently Asked Questions.
For more information about eligibility please see our Concessionary bus pass information leaflet (PDF 1.38MB). Please read this before you apply.
Eligibility on grounds of disability
You must be a Somerset resident and have a disability or be unable to drive for medical reasons to be entitled to a concessionary bus pass. You can apply if you:
- are blind or partially sighted
- are profoundly or severely deaf in both ears
- are without speech
- have severe difficulty in walking
- do not have arms or have long-term loss of the use of both arms
- have a learning disability which is severe and diagnosed during early life
- have applied for a licence to drive under Part III of the Road Traffic Act 1988, but your application was turned down because of section 92 of the Act (physical fitness) but not if it was because of persistent misuse of drugs or alcohol
For more information about eligibility please see our Concessionary bus pass information leaflet (PDF 1.38MB). Please read this before you apply.
Please note that Somerset Council does not issue companion or carer bus passes. This is a result of government funding arrangements.
What you will need
You will need to supply proof of your age and residency. We require two separate documents – one from each of the lists below – a recent low gloss colour passport size and style photograph (see Passport Photograph Guidance) and proof of any disability if applicable.
Examples of proof of residency:
- Council Tax bill (most recent)
- Utility bill (no more than 3 months old)
- TV licence (most recent)
- Electoral registration
- NHS medical card (bearing the applicant’s name)
Examples of proof of your age:
- Passport
- Driving licence
- NHS Medical card (bearing the applicant’s name)
- Birth certificate (bearing the applicant’s name)
- Pension card or letter
If you are applying because you have a disability, you must send us proof of your disability. Please see our Concessionary bus pass information leaflet (PDF 1.38MB) to find out what is accepted as proof of your disability, here are some examples:
- Department for Work and Pensions Disability Living Allowance award letter, which gives details of your award for mobility and care components.
- Department for Work and Pensions Personal Independence Payment Statement of Entitlement. This gives details of your points awarded for Mobility Activities Moving Around activity and Planning and Following Journeys’ activity.
- A letter from Social Care Services on headed paper or an email from a social worker.
- A letter from a medical professional on official headed paper that gives details of your disability and how it affects you carrying out normal day-to-day activities.
Where possible, please send photocopies of your documents as we cannot accept any responsibility for the loss of documents in the post. We will return any original documents to you after we have processed your application, if you request us to do so.
We aim to process your application within 28 working days, if all the details you send us are correct. Your pass will be sent directly to your home address.
Using your bus pass
The pass must be presented to the on-bus electronic card machine. The rules of the scheme make your pass valid from 9.30am to 11pm Monday to Friday, and any time on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
There is a 50% fare for concessionary bus pass holders on all SLINKY services within Somerset. You may also be able to use your bus pass on certain types of journeys provided by Community Transport.
You can only use your pass for journeys that start or finish in England.
You cannot use your pass for journeys on:
- Berry’s Superfast services
- National Express services
- Rail services
- Stagecoach Falcon service
London uses the Oyster Card System, so English National Concessionary Travel Passes issued outside London may not read on the Oyster Card machines. For free travel in London you must show the driver the pass instead of presenting it to the card machine.
Your pass is valid until the date printed on it.
Renewing your bus pass
If your age-related bus pass is due to expire, it will automatically be renewed approximately a month before your pass expires to the address we currently hold.
If you haven’t received your renewed pass, please email transport@somerset.gov.uk to confirm your address. If the pass has been sent to an old address there may be a £10 fee to replace it.
If you hold a disabled-entitled pass, we will continue to send you an invitation to renew to the address that the expiring pass was sent to, unless you have told us that you have changed your address.
If you have not received your new bus pass, this may be because:
- You have only used your bus pass in London, where passes are not recorded on the Oyster ticket machine
- You have not told us that you have changed your address, and your new pass has been sent to your old address
If you have not received your new bus pass, please email us at transport@somerset.gov.uk or use our contact us option.
Request a replacement bus pass
If you need a replacement English National Concessionary Travel Scheme Pass for any reason, there is a £10 admin fee. You should not have to provide a new photo unless the one on your current pass is out of date or your appearance has changed significantly.
Please note – you can only use this service if you need a replacement pass, for example, if your current pass has been damaged, lost or stolen.
We cannot refund the cost of any bus tickets you buy whilst you’re waiting for your replacement bus pass to arrive.
Request a replacement bus pass
You will need a debit card or credit card to complete your payment.
When we have received your application and payment we will order you a replacement pass which will be sent directly to you within 10 working days.
If your pass is due to expire, please see the ‘Renewing your bus pass’ section of this page for what happens.
Update your bus pass details
You can update the address details of your English National Concessionary Travel Scheme Pass by using the button below, or you can email transport@somerset.gov.uk and we will update them for you. You can also use this form to report the death of a cardholder.
If you have moved out of Somerset, you must tell us. Your Somerset record will be deactivated and the Somerset issued pass will no longer be valid for use 14 days after deactivation. Please contact your new travel concession authority to apply for a new pass. If you don’t know who this is, please see Apply for an elderly person bus pass or Apply for a disabled bus pass
If you have moved inside Somerset, all you need to do is update us with your new address, your pass will still be valid until it expires.
If you move to Somerset from another authority, you must tell that authority that you have moved. They will cancel your existing travel pass, and you must apply to us for a new travel pass. Please go to the ‘Introduction’ section of this page to download and fill in the application form, and submit it with a passport-style photo and proof of eligibility.
Update your details
If you have an English National Concessionary Travel pass and want to get a replacement, there is information about how to do this in the ‘Renewing your bus pass’ section of this page.
The bus pass is free, but there is an admin charge for replacing a valid pass if it has been lost, stolen or damaged. Please make sure you tell us if you change your address – if you don’t, you could be charged for a replacement.