As regular readers of this website will probably be aware ever since concessionary pass holders were given free travel on buses across the country trams have been a bit of a poor relation with government funding only covering buses. This has led to local authorities either having to fund concessionary pass holders travelling on trams out of their own budgets or not extend the offer. Nottinghamshire County Council are one such local authority and they have now announced a full review of their funding of free tram travel.
Currently people with disabilities and older people who hold a Nottinghamshire County Council concessionary pass can travel for free on Nottingham Express Transit between 0930 and 2300 on weekdays and all day on weekends and bank holidays.
The Council funds this to the tune of £900,000 per annum with the 154,000 pass holders estimated to make around 1.14 million journeys each year.
They are now looking at possible cost savings from 2024 and are to undertake a consultation with local residents and pass holders. There are four main options on the table:
- Introducing a half fare payment
- Withdrawing the scheme for everyone except disabled passholders and their companions
- Withdrawing free travel for all passholders
- Retaining things as they are
Cllr Neil Clarke MBE, Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “As a Travel Concession Authority (TCA), we have a duty to provide free travel on local bus services for holders of a valid English National Concessionary Travel Pass.
“Access to transport is just one of the ways we hope to achieve a healthy, prosperous and greener future for Nottinghamshire residents, and so alongside our statutory duty, we also currently support passholders by offering extra entitlements.
“These entitlements mean that passholders have access to free travel on the tram, a companion travel facility attached to passes issued for certain severe disabilities and free travel for disabled pass holders on Section 19 minibus services in the county.
“The costs of these additional measures are funded entirely by the county council, and due to the current cost of the tram concessionary offer, we want to seek the views of residents and pass holders to make sure that our future offer best suits their needs.
“The consultation will last for eight weeks, and once we have completed this, we will consider the views of those who respond at a future Cabinet Member Meeting.”
This consultation only impacts those with Nottinghamshire County Council concessionary passes with those from Nottingham City Council unaffected.