Concessionary travel passes
A concessionary travel pass allows you to enjoy free off-peak travel on local buses anywhere in England:
- Monday to Friday: 9.30am to 11pm
- Weekends and public holidays: all day.
COVID-19 Vaccination Update
Effective from Monday 25 January and until further notice, all concessionary pass holders will be able to board a bus in Nottingham or the wider Nottinghamshire county area for free before 9:30am on weekdays. Concessions that possess either a Nottingham City Council or Nottinghamshire County Council issued pass will be able to use the tram for free before 9:30am on weekdays too.
We have decided to do this for our residents in conjunction with Nottingham City Council and local bus and tram operators to help you make any early morning COVID-19 vaccination appointments , but please try to avoid appointments times before 0930 as the buses may be busier. The take-up will be monitored, and the benefit may be withdrawn should buses or trams start to fill up too much over the coming weeks and months.
Both passes, age related or disability related, offer the same travel benefits for the user. Regardless of you having a disability, if you meet the qualifying age it is a simpler process to apply and renew an age travel pass.
To see when you qualify for an age related travel pass enter your date of birth into the state pension age calculator on the Gov.uk website.
If you aren’t yet eligible for an age related pass you can apply for a disabled pass if you meet any of the qualifying criteria below:
- are blind or partially sighted
- are profoundly or severely deaf
- are without speech
- have a disability, or have suffered an injury, which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to walk
- do not have arms or have long term loss of the use of both arms
- have a learning disability - a state of arrested or incomplete development of mind which includes significant impairment of intelligence and social functioning, or
- would have an application to drive a motor vehicle refused due to your disability.
Companion support
If you are unable to board public transport without assistance and meet at least on of the qualifying criteria below you can apply for a companion to be added to your disabled travel pass:
- be blind
- have a severe walking disability
- have a severe learning disability.
Your companion will receive free off-peak travel on all journeys that start within Nottinghamshire (not including Nottingham City). Whilst you as a pass holder are entitled to free off-peak travel anywhere in England your companion is subject to travel costs on journeys started outside of Nottinghamshire.
You will be required to provide proof of your disability when making your application
How to apply
If you live in the county you can complete one of the application forms below and return it to us with supporting documents of your eligibility.
Before you apply for a Disabled Person's Pass, please read the document Eligibility and support document required for application.
If you can’t print an application form you can pick one up from your nearest local bus station or contact our customer service team to have one posted to you.
Supporting documents
We do not return documents once your application has been processed so please only provide a photocopy of the document if you need to retain the original for your own records.
Return applications to
Transport and Travel Services
PO Box 1889
Nottingham
NG2 9RU
Do you live in Nottingham City?
Nottingham City residents must apply for a travel pass from Nottingham City Council.
If you have changed your address since receiving your last pass please contact the customer service team below to update your address and renew your pass.
Age related travel passes
The quickest way to renew your age related travel pass is online.
You will need:
- your unique renewal code. This is in the renewal letter that we recently sent to you
- the last 4 digits of your current pass number.
What happens next
We will post a new pass to you before your current ones expires(please ensure you notify us of any address changes). If you have not received a new pass one week prior to your current one expiring please contact the Customer Service Team
Disability related travel passes
The renewal process is the same as when applying for the first time. This is because:
- your circumstances (and what you are eligible for) might have changed
- the criteria for getting a concessionary travel pass might have changed. We need to assess you against the latest criteria.
If you have a disabled pass we will write to you approximately 6 weeks before your current pass expires. If you have not received a letter one month prior to your current pass expiring please contact the Customer Service Team
Go to the Apply for a travel pass section above to get a disabled person’s application form.
If your current travel pass has been lost, stolen or damaged beyond use you can call the customer service team and:
- pay £10 over the phone to order a replacement
- request a replacement form to be sent to you in the post to pay £10 by cheque or postal order
Stolen passes
We will replace a stolen pass for free if you have a Crime Number from the police (not an Incident Number)
Additional benefits
Tram travel
In addition to the standard national benefits[PDF], the Nottinghamshire scheme includes free tram travel on the Nottingham Express Transit (NET) system.
To receive free tram travel make sure you scan your bus pass before boarding the tram. Tram inspectors will be in operation and may ask to re-scan your pass to check it was done before boarding.
NET only accept passes issued by Nottinghamshire County Council or by Nottingham City Council.
If you have a bus pass issued by another council this will not be valid and you will need to buy a ticket before you board from the ticket machines.
Medilink and Centrelink
From 2 January 2018 the previous restriction for use of your pass on these services has been removed. You can therefore use your pass to travel as follows:
- before 9.30am: fares must be paid at all stops
- after 9.30am: free from all stops.
Local exclusions
The concessionary fares scheme is funded by central government but managed and administered by local transport authorities. The local transport authority reimburses bus operators for journeys made under the scheme. There are some services where concessionary bus passes are not supported under this scheme.
Red Arrow
Concessionary passes are not accepted on this service.
Red Arrow is classed as an amenity service rather than local bus travel. A local bus service generally serves all stops along the route. However, the Red Arrow operates as a limited stop express service.
Night buses
Night buses charge a premium fare so may be excluded from the scheme. Please check with the relevant operator.
If your enquiry hasn’t been answered in the sections above you can contact the customer service team.
Please include your full name, address, date of birth and bus pass number if your enquiry relates to an existing travel pass or application.
