English National Concessionary Bus Pass - Issued free of Charge

Cheshire East Council along with Cheshire West and Chester Council, Halton Borough Council and Warrington Borough Council have formed a consortium in order to provide their residents with the English National Concessionary Bus Pass and arrange with local bus companies to provide the concession. In addition to the statutory scheme they are also able to offer local enhancements to residents of all partner Councils.

Pass Holder Concessions

Holders of an English National Concessionary Bus Pass issued by the Cheshire Consortium are entitled to the following concessions:

On journeys starting in Cheshire East or Cheshire West and Chester:

• Monday – Friday before 0930 – Half Fare
• Monday – Friday between 0930 – Last Bus – Free Fare
• Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday – Free Fare

These same concessions apply to Dial a Ride services in Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester, Chester Park & Ride services and journeys on bus services going into Wales providing the journey starts or ends in Cheshire East or Cheshire West and Chester.

On journeys starting in Halton or Warrington:

• Monday – Friday between 0930 – Last Bus – Free Fare
• Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday – Free Fare

In the rest of England:

• Monday – Friday between 0930-2300 – Free Fare
• Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday – Free Fare

If you hold a disabled persons ENCTS pass on the grounds of visual impairment and have been issued with a florescent wallet then you are entitled to free travel on all local bus journeys starting or ending in Cheshire, Halton or Warrington regardless of time. Please note that the pass must be retained in the florescent wallet provided at all times in order to receive all the concessions to which you are entitled.

Unless advised otherwise locally, full adult fare applies at all other times.

Exclusions

The English National Concessionary Bus Pass issued by the Cheshire Consortium is not valid for use on:

• Bus Services on which the majority of seats can be reserved in advance of travel (such as coaches);
• Bus Services that are intended to run for a period of less than 6 consecutive weeks;
• Bus Services operated primarily for the purposes of tourism or because of the historical interest of the vehicle;
• Bus Substitution (rail replacement) services;
• Bus Services where the fare charged by the operator has a special amenity element.
• Tours, excursions and Sightseeing buses,
• Express bus services such as National Express
• Night buses.
• Trains, Trams, Ferries, Metro­link or Underground.

Available to

Permanent residents of Cheshire East who:

• 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 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
• would, if you applied for a licence to drive a motor vehicle under Part III of the Road Traffic Act 1988, have your application refused under section 92 of the Act (physical fitness) on grounds other than persistent misuse of drugs or alcohol.

or

• are of eligible age - please refer to below table:

Copies of the full table can be requested by calling 0300 123 5020

How to Apply

Applications should be made in person at one of the council office listed on the Concessionary Travel Homepage, postal applications are not permitted. An application form can be obtained by calling 0300 123 5020 or by downloading an application form below.

• Older Persons Bus Pass Application (MS Word, 120KB) 
• Disabled persons bus pass application and Evidence Sheet (MS Word, 143KB) 

At the time of application you will be required to provide:

• Proof of Residence
• Proof of Age / Identity
• For disabled persons - proof of disability - acceptable forms of evidence are detailed on the application form.
• One Passport size and quality photograph (Not required from 1st November 2011 if applying for older persons bus pass in person at Macclesfield Town Hall)

Your bus pass will be valid for a maximum of 5 years. All bus passes will be issued by post direct to your home address usually within 21 days.

Replacement Bus Passes

If your bus pass has been lost or stolen a replacement can be issued. The charge for a replacement bus pass is £10.00, stolen passes will be replaced free of charge on production of a copy of the reported crime letter issued by the Police.

If your original pass is found after the issue of your replacement you must return the original pass to the Council for secure disposal.

Requests for replacement bus passes should be made in person at one of the council offices listed on the Concessionary Travel Homepage, postal applications are not permitted.

Visitors

If you are visiting Cheshire East and have an English National Concessionary Travel Scheme ( ENCTS ) pass issued by another English authority you will be entitled to the following concessions on local bus services:

• Monday – Friday between 0930 - Last Bus – Free Fare
• Saturday, Sunday or Bank Holiday – Free Fare

Full Fare applies at all other times.

Visitors can also obtain the same concessions when travelling on the Chester Park & Ride services; however other local enhancements such as pre 09:30 discounts and travel into Wales are only available to residents.

Further Information

• Cheshire Boroughs Concessionary Travel Scheme Published Particulars 01.04.2011 to 31.03.2014 (PDF, 77KB) 
• Bus Pass Holders Terms and Conditions (PDF, 210KB)
• NFI Fair Processing Notice (PDF, 58KB) 
• Directgov - Free bus travel and concessions 

Please note fees and charges are correct at time of writing and may be subject to change.