Bus passes for disabled adults

Overview

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.

Eligibility

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

  • You have a valid Blue Badge
  • 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

What evidence you will need if you're eligible

Valid Blue Car Badge

You will need to provide the badge number and expiry date.

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. It is not the overall mobility score or the planning a journey score.

You will need to provide:

your PIP decision letter from DWP which shows:

  • you get PIP (front page)
  • the points awarded in the mobility section for moving around only

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 part.

You will need to provide:

your PIP decision letter from DWP which shows:

  • you get PIP (front page)
  • the communicating scores

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:

War Pensioners Mobility Scheme

You will need to provide:

  • your official letter from Veterans UK

If you have lost this letter, contact Veterans UK:

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 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.

Applying for your disabled bus pass

You can apply for a disabled bus pass yourself or ask someone to apply on your behalf.

Complete the online application form by using the link below.

Please have all required evidence ready as it will need to be uploaded.

Apply for a disabled bus pass

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

Other ways to apply

If you can't apply online, please contact us for a form:

Please send the completed form and any copies of evidence to Business.SupportASC-Adults@southtyneside.gov.uk.

Or you can deliver by hand:

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

Please do not send original documents. 

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

What happens next

We will let you know the outcome of your request.

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. 

Re-applying for your bus pass

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.

Privacy notice

1. Introduction 

This notice provides additional privacy information regarding the Disabled Person's Concessionary Travel Pass Application Form. 

We will keep our privacy notice under regular review and will advise you of any updates on our website.  

This Notice was last reviewed in January 2025.

2. Who we are

For Data Protection legislation, South Tyneside Council is the data controller.

3. What type of personal information do we collect? 

We may collect the following types of personal information: 

Personal 

  • Name 
  • Date of Birth 
  • Address 
  • Contact details (phone and email) 
  • Disability 
  • Status of driving licence (if relevant) 

Qualification Evidence  

  • Blue Badge Information (if relevant) 
  • Higher Rate of Mobility Confirmation (if relevant) 
  • PIP Eligibility (if relevant) 
  • War Pension Mobility Supplement Information (if relevant) 
  • Certificate of Vision Impairment or registration with an appropriate association (if relevant) 
  • Health Care Professional confirming that you are without speech. (if relevant)   
  • Doctor Confirmation of Condition or Conditions/Medical Declaration Document. (if relevant) 
  • DVLA Confirmation Letters. (if relevant) 

How do we collect personal information? 

We may collect your personal information in many ways, for example: 

  • In-person 
  • In writing - for example letter or email 
  • Telephone calls 
  • Online form

Why do we collect your personal information? 

We collect the information to allow us to assess your eligibility for a concessionary travel pass. 

Who might we share your personal information with? 

We will not share your personal information with any other third parties unless you have specifically asked us to, or if we have a legal obligation to do so. 

How long will we keep your personal information? 

Personal information will be retained for 2 Years from the expiry date (Retention Policy 2020) 

What is our legal basis for using your personal information? 

To use your personal information there must be a lawful basis to do this, such as, through a contract, performing a public task or where there is a legal obligation.   

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the lawful bases we rely on for processing this information - 

Your consent - The lawful basis for processing the information is based upon consent for personal data, article 6(e) which includes special categories of data 

You can remove your consent at any time. You can do this by contacting Business.SupportASC-Adults@southtyneside.gov.uk however it may affect the decision process 

How do we keep your personal information secure? 

Your information will be stored securely on a digital case management system. Only officers relevant to the processing of the application will have access to the data. 

Is your personal information used overseas? 

We will not process your personal information outside of the European Economic Area (EEA). 

What are your rights? 

Your rights are set out in law. Subject to some legal exemptions, you have the following rights: 

  • Right to be informed 
  • Right of access 
  • Right to rectification 
  • Right to erasure 
  • Right to restrict processing 
  • Right to data portability 
  • Right to object 
  • Rights relating to automated decision-making and profiling 

Contact us 

If you would like to exercise your rights concerning your personal information, or you feel that something has gone wrong with your personal information, you can contact us in either of the following ways: 

By email: data.protection@southtyneside.gov.uk 

By telephone: 0191 424 6539 

In writing:
South Tyneside Council 
Information Governance 
Town Hall and Civic Offices 
South Shields 
NE33 2RL 

If you feel that the Council has not handled your information correctly you can contact the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).  The ICO is the Government's Independent Body responsible for overseeing data protection.  In most cases, the ICO will only review cases that have exhausted the Council's internal procedures. 

The ICO's contact details are as follows: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, SK9 5AF. More information can be found on the ICO's website at www.ico.org.uk.