Why free all day bus travel for disabled passengers is to be welcomed

Public transport is not just about getting people from one place to another. A reliable network can transform towns, cities and villages. It can boost productivity and help deliver economic growth, connecting people to opportunities.

The Prime Minister’s announcement that disabled people in England will be able to travel by bus for free at any time is such a simple measure that it begs the question why it hasn’t been done already.

At a time when the spotlight is firmly on the unsustainable welfare bill, allowing people with disabilities to travel more freely can only be a good thing, incentivising them to access employment.

There is the moral imperative of enabling vulnerable people to travel by bus for free at all times of the day. But then there is also the economic argument.

Currently, disabled bus passes are only eligible for use between the hours of 09:30 and 23:00 on weekdays. This penalises those using the buses to get to work in the morning at a time when all that is possible should be done to encourage people to work and discourages some from looking for work.

While the move will cost £60m, it’s easy to see how that could be paid back through the economic contribution this could generate.

Credit must go to Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, ho has long campaigned on this issue.

He said: “Disabilities don’t start at 9 o’clock, neither should disabled bus passes and soon enough they won’t. This is a huge win for the disabled community.”

The Government should carry forward this momentum and look at what other ways the disabled community can be supported to play a more active role in society. Many of these people have a lot to give but are excluded as a result of oversights in policy.