Bus passes for disabled adults

A disabled person's bus pass allows you to travel on buses in England for free from 9.30am on weekdays and all day on weekends and public holidays.

You have to be aged between 18 and the state pension age and meet one of the eligibility criteria in the form to get a disabled pass.

Before applying with Nexus for a bus pass, you will need a Confirmation of Eligibility form. This is provided by South Tyneside Council.

If you need to travel before 9.30am to get to or from a hospital appointment, show your hospital appointment card or letter with your pass to the driver and you can still travel for free.

For more information about bus passes for disabled adults, visit Nexus: Concessionary travel for disabled adults

For more information on other passes including older person's passes and taxi cards see travel passes.

You are able to get a disabled bus pass if you meet any of the following:

• You get the higher rate for the mobility part of Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• You get a Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and you get either:
  • 8 points or more for 'moving around' for mobility
  • 8 points or more for 'communicating verbally' for daily living activities
• You get War Pensioners Mobility Supplement
• You are registered blind or partially sighted
• You are registered as profoundly deaf with or without speech
• You do not have arms or have a long term loss of the use of both arms
• You have had a driving licence refused or revoked on medical grounds (physical fitness or severe mental disorder)
• You are assessed as having a learning disability (this does not include Asperger's syndrome, autism, ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia)
• You have a disability, or have suffered an injury, which has a substantial and long-term effect on your ability to walk

Registered blind or partially sighted

You will need to provide:

• a certificate of vision impairment / evidence of registration with an appropriate association (e.g. Social Services)
• a letter from a health care professional.

Disability Living Allowance (DLA)

You will need to provide either:

• an award notice letter from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) which is less than 12 months old
• an annual uprating letter which says you get DLA

If you have lost your award notice letter or your uprating letter, you can ask for a current award notice from the Disability Service Centre.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) - moving around descriptor

You will need to show that in the mobility component, you get at least 8 points or more for the moving around part.

You will need to provide:

your PIP decision letter from DWP which shows:

• you get PIP (front page)
• the assessment scores (second to last page)
• the mobility scores (last page)

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) - communicating verbally descriptor

You will need to show that in the daily living activities component, you get at least 8 points or more for the communicating verbally part.

You will need to provide:

your PIP decision letter from DWP which shows:

• you get PIP (front page)
• the assessment scores (second to last page)
• the mobility scores (last page)

War Pensioner's Mobility Supplement

You will need to provide:

• your official letter from Veterans UK which shows you get the grant

If you have lost this letter, contact Veterans UK:

• Email: veterans-uk@mod.gov.uk
• Freephone: 0808 191 4218

War Pensioners Mobility Scheme

You will need to provide:

• your official letter from Veterans UK

If you have lost this letter, contact Veterans UK:

• Email: veterans-uk@mod.gov.uk
• Freephone: 0808 191 4218

Registered as profoundly deaf with or without speech

You will need to provide either:

• a report signed by a clinical audiologist which shows you are profoundly deaf
• your PIP decision letter showing that you've scored 8 or more points in communicating verbally in the daily living activities component
• evidence of registration with an appropriate association (e.g. Social Services)
• a letter from a Health Care Professional confirming that you are without speech

Do not have arms or have a long term loss of the use of both arms

You will need to provide:

• a medical summary from your doctor or specialist that shows your name, address and confirms your condition or conditions

Driving licence refused or revoked on medical grounds (physical fitness or severe mental disorder):

You will need to provide either:

• a letter from the DVLA stating that your licence has been refused/revoked on medical grounds
• a letter from your GP detailing your diagnosis, medication and confirming that you do not meet DVLA requirements to hold a driving licence

Assessed as having a Learning Disability

You will need to provide your details to check if we have a record of your disability.

Please complete the application form and return it to Business.SupportASC-Adults@southtyneside.gov.uk.

Or visit the reception to deliver by hand:

FAO: Adult Social Care Business Support
South Tyneside Council,
South Shields Town Hall,
Westoe Road,
NE33 2RL

If you are a Medical Professional please see the Section 4 Medical Declaration Form.

For more information about bus passes for disabled adults, visit Nexus: Concessionary travel for disabled adults

Once you've got your Confirmation of Eligibility form, you will need to apply for your pass with Nexus.

Please complete the application form on the Nexus website. This is also available to print, if you would prefer to send the completed form to Nexus by post. 

Your disabled person's bus pass will last 5 years if you:

• have mobility issues
• are blind/partially sighted
• are profoundly deaf with or without speech
• have a learning disability
• do not have arms or have a long term loss of the use of both arms

Your disabled person's bus pass will last 1 year if you:

• have had a driving licence refused or revoked on medical grounds (physical fitness or severe mental disorder)

You need renew your pass through Nexus before your current pass runs out.

If you have had your driving licence refused or revoked on medical grounds, you also need to get your GP to fill out a GP renewal form (from Nexus) or show a letter provided by your GP stating that you would not be able to hold a driving licence for the next 12 months.

An All Day Concessionary Travel Pass will also last 1 year. If you are reapplying and are still working or in education for 15 hours or more a week, you must also submit another letter (dated within the last 3 months) from your employer or education body.

Please renew your pass before your current one expires. If you wait until your pass expires, you will have to repeat the process of applying to get a new Confirmation of Eligibility form.

What this document is for

This privacy notice provides details on how South Tyneside Council's concessionary fares service uses your personal information for passes to residents who are above the qualifying age and disabled passes to applicants who meet the relevant qualifying criteria.

By 'use' we mean the various ways it may be processed, including storing and sharing the information.

Further details

We also provide the following details in our general Privacy Notice:

• Who we are
• How long we use your information for
• Your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (the GDPR) and
• How to exercise them 

What we use your information for

We use your personal information to:

• process applications and replacement requests
• provide the concessionary fares service
• contact you about the concessionary fares service
• assess the quality of our services and evaluate and improve our policies and procedures

We may also use your information in other ways compatible with the above.

What personal data we collect and use about you

We collect and use:

• your name, address
• your contact details
• proof that you live in South Tyneside
• for age related passes - proof of your date of birth
• for disabled passes - proof of disability living allowance (if relevant)
• for disabled passes - proof of war pensioners' mobility supplement (if relevant)
• for disabled passes - details of existing blue badge (if relevant)

We may also require proof of any disabilities and other health information. This information is classed as "special category data" under the GDPR. We may only collect these data when it is relevant and for the purposes described above.

Who provides this information

We receive this information from you.

Who we share your information with

We may share your information across different departments of the County Council where it is necessary for our public tasks or functions to do so. In particular, we cross reference Blue Badge information with an application for a disabled pass if the evidence provided for seeking a disabled pass is the holding of a Blue Badge.

Your personal information may also be given to third parties contracted by the County Council to provide a service to the County Council. These service providers are known as data processors and have a legal obligation under GDPR and to the County Council to look after your personal information and only use it for providing that service.

How the law protects you and the legal basis for processing your information

We have legal grounds under the GDPR to process this information because it is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest and the task or function has a clear basis in law under the Transport Act 2000.

We have legal grounds to process (including share) special category data because it is necessary for reasons in the substantial public interest and in the exercise of a statutory function under the Transport Act 2000.

How long will we keep your personal information for

We will keep the information electronically for 2 years after which time it will be securely deleted. We will also keep any paper documents for 6 months after which it will be securely destroyed.

How we keep your information

The information is stored electronically, on the County Council's records management system. Additionally, information is securely stored in other mediums, including email accounts and in paper files. 

We do not process your information outside of the UK and European Economic Area. 

Automated decision making

We do not make automated decisions about you.

Changes to this notice

We may amend this privacy notice at any time so please review it frequently. The date below will be amended each time this notice is updated.

Last updated: 25 October 2022