Proposed changes to Concessionary fares scheme

Overview

Why your views matter

Reading Borough Council issues and accepts Concessionary passes for elderly persons’ bus travel, and Access passes for disabled persons’ bus travel. This is part of the National Concessionary Travel Scheme providing free off peak bus travel for Concessionary and Access pass holders from 09.30 to 23.00 Mon – Fri and at anytime at weekends and Bank Holidays. These scheme times are set by Central Government but Reading Borough Council currently permits additional free travel funded from Local Government resources. As a result of significant cuts to Reading Borough Council’s budgets a cost saving proposal has been made to make changes to the Concessionary fares scheme with effect from 1^st April 2017.

What are we consulting on?

The proposed changes to the Concessionary fares scheme are as follows;

1.    Concessionary passes issued to elderly residents will only be valid from 09.30 to 23.00 Mon-Fri rather than from 09.00 to 23.00 currently (there is no change to weekend and bank holiday acceptance which remains at any time).

2.    Buses in Reading Borough will cease to accept Wokingham concessionary passes between 09.00 and 09.30 on Mondays to Fridays.

3.    Cease acceptance of Concessionary passes on football and rugby special bus services to/from Madejski Stadium

There are no proposed changes to the issue and acceptance of Access passes for disabled persons’ bus travel.

The closing date for this consultation is 30^th September 2016. Please make sure you respond by then.

What we are proposing

We are seeking your views on our proposal to modify the Concessionary fares scheme as above

What happens next

This consultation is now closed. Thank you for providing feedback to the consultation proposing to revert to the standard National English Concessionary Travel Scheme providing free off-peak bus travel. Responses to the consultation are currently being analysed before they are reported to Policy Committee in November.