Last year in the spending review, the government added an extra cut that wasn’t noticed among the big announcements. From October, disabled people and pensioners will no longer receive half-price concessionary coach fares, saving the government around £20m.
Coach company National Express had 3 million passengers using the scheme last year alone: the disabled and elderly who are unable to drive, or who cannot afford expensive train fares. These passengers benefit from concessionary fares for travelling long-distance routes to visit friends and family, and for some the affordability of the fares will be their only way to have holidays and days out within the UK. During the 2010 election campaign, Conservative MPs pledged they would not take away bus passes and travel concessions from disabled and old people, insisting that Labour was claiming this as a scare tactic; yet this is another pledge broken in the commitment to looking after the most vulnerable. The cut of concessionary coach fares will be a blow to those who are unable to travel by train or plane due to physical difficulty, as well as financial constraints.
