Cross-party support for free all-day travel on Nottinghamshire buses for concessionary pass holders

During a full council meeting on July 9, councillors from Coun Faccio (Lab) how one Nottinghamshire resident 'goes without food' when she has to pay for bus travel to early medical appointments.

Conservatives on the authority proposed a motion for the meeting, asking the Reform-led authority to write to the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) mayor, Claire Ward (Lab) requesting for the removal of the 9.30am weekday restriction for concessionary bus travel.

Currently, those with a concessionary bus pass have free off-peak travel on local buses between 9.30am to 11pm and all day on weekends and Bank Holidays.

For elderly and disabled pass holders under the county council, their pass also allows them free weekday travel after 9.30am on NET trams and all day on weekends.

Coun Andy Brown (Con), proposing the motion to remove the weekday time restriction, told the meeting: “People are eligible for concessionary travel, yet they are unable to use their pass when they need it most.

“Many residents rely on public transport to attend medical appointments, volunteer within their communities, support family members, access local services and maintain their independence.”

Coun Brown said the restrictions ‘simply do not make sense’, adding medical appointments and volunteering are not ‘luxury’ journeys and said the move would reduce social isolation, help vulnerable people live independently for longer and reduce congestion on the roads.

The authority’s leader, Mick Barton (Ref), instantly expressed his support for free all-day travel for these pass holders, but proposed a slight amendment to the motion, saying he and deputy leader, Coun Dawn Justice (Ref), would write to the mayor to ‘explore the option’ for removing the time restriction as part of ‘wider discussion’ with all aspects of discretionary travel in the region.

He said “it’s a quicker way of getting it done as I’m on the EMCCA board and I’m also chair of the EMCCA transport committee.

He also noted that Coun Justice also sits on the board.

Adding to the discussion, Coun Faccio shared the story of one resident who wrote to her about her issues with her concessionary pass.

She told members: “She’s got several health conditions and she has a bus pass for medical reasons.

“She told me she’d greatly benefit from free travel before 9.30am because she often has hospital appointments early in the morning and she said she sometimes has to go without food that day if she has had to pay for her bus fare to get to hospital – this cannot be right in this day and age.”

Coun Teresa Cullen (Brox All), who represents Beeston Central and Rylands, said those who live in the Rylands part of the ward do not have a doctors’ surgery immediately nearby, where they have to travel towards the town centre.

She said she believes it is one day possible for an option of free bus travel for ‘all residents’, adding: “I think we should go further.”

Coun Sam Smith, leader of the Conservative opposition on the authority, said the funding that would help a scheme like this has come from the £2 billion allocated to EMCCA by the former Conservative government.

He said: “I sit on the audit committee at EMCCA and there’s millions and millions and millions of pounds in reserve because she’s (East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward) doing absolutely nothing – now we can actually do something.”

Coun Penny Gowland (Lab) supported the motion but said there was ‘no magic money tree’ with such schemes and it needs to be balanced with the needs of the community, particularly young people.

She said: “We’re talking about fairness, respect and people living full and active lives, we need to make sure young people can get to jobs, employment, training because we know young people also need to move around before 9.30am and they also often do not have cars.”

She added bus routes largely used by those with concessionary passes are ‘under threat’ because they are not seen as commercially viable as they do not collect fares on these routes.

When speaking about the upcoming motion, concessionary pass holder and campaigner Des Conway previously told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “It’s really important, a lot of people with mobility problems more often than not use medical facilities and will have appointments before half nine.

“It’s not just medical appointments, it’s all about leisure and enjoyment, it’s getting out and about.”

He said the move was a good opportunity ‘to put pressure on’ Andy Burnham, the newly elected Labour MP for Makerfield and the former Greater Manchester Mayor, if he was to become the next Prime Minister, to roll out this type of free-travel across England.

The motion was accepted unanimously by all parties on the council.

An EMCCA spokesperson said: “EMCCA welcomes feedback on how the region uses its concessionary budget, as we build a regional transport offer.

“We are always open to discussions with all our constituent authorities and Nottinghamshire Council is in a strong position to influence, holding the role of chair on the transport and digital connectivity committee.

“The concessionary scheme that EMCCA has operated from April 2026 has not changed the arrangements that Nottinghamshire Council had in place the previous year.

"We are now reviewing all inherited schemes, with a clear focus on addressing inequalities between people and places.

“People who receive a concessionary pass, rightly, are supported to travel for free as part of a consistent national commitment, and this will continue.

"But the concessionary scheme is to support other priorities too, notably, children, young people, and subsidies for bus routes in rural areas.

"These will be considered alongside any proposals to extend the time window for the concessionary pass.”