Disabled people in England will be able to travel by bus for free at any time of day from April 2027, the government has announced, in a change expected to benefit around one million people.
Currently, disabled bus passes can only be used between 09:30 and 23:00 on weekdays, a restriction that campaigners say has made it difficult for disabled people to get to work or attend events later in the evening. The passes can already be used at any time at weekends and on bank holidays.
The government said the move formed part of its wider focus on reducing the cost of living and helping more people into work. It described bus travel as the most popular mode of transport in England and a "lifeline for so many".
The disability charity Scope said the change would "remove barriers to everyday life" for disabled people across the country.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said it was "simply not right that many disabled people cannot travel using their pass during certain times of the day" and that the government intended to change that nationally, having previously scrapped similar restrictions in his former role as mayor of Greater Manchester.
Earlier this year, Burnham removed time-restricted travel for those with disabled passes in Manchester so they could use the city's bus system, known as the Bee Network, at any time of day. "I'm proud to do it now for the whole country," he said.
Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, who has been a prominent advocate for the policy, called it a "huge win for the disabled community" and the "culmination of two years of campaigning".
However, a Conservative Party spokesman challenged the prime minister to "come clean" on how the policy would be funded, describing it as "simply the shuffling around of existing departmental budgets".
James Barber, from the disabled-led charity Transport for All, called the announcement a "real win for disabled people" and "very welcome news". He said it would also help end what he called "the confusing and unjust postcode lottery caused by different rules in different areas".
Kurtis Crossthorn, from Sheffield, who is registered blind, said the change would be "very welcome" and would leave many disabled people feeling "relieved" and "heard". He said disabled people "need to get to work and need to live their life as well", describing buses as a "lifeline" particularly for those who cannot drive.
The new rules are due to come into force on 1 April 2027. The government said the £60 million scheme would be funded from the budgets of the Department for Transport and the Department for Work and Pensions.
Work and Pensions minister Lilian Greenwood said the change represented an "indefinite commitment" rather than a short-term policy, adding that the government would set out how to fund it in future years through spending reviews.
The announcement follows other measures the government has introduced as part of its focus on reducing the cost of living, including free bus travel for under-16s during August and a £2 cap on single bus fares, which bus companies have been encouraged to adopt. Ministers have also cut business rates for pubs and removed VAT from electricity bills.
Elsewhere in the UK, disabled people in Scotland and Wales are already entitled to free bus travel. In Northern Ireland, blind people and disabled war veterans can travel free of charge, while other disabled pass holders receive a half-fare.
