Who can order an English National Concessionary Pass?
You are entitled to an English National Concessionary Pass if you live in West Yorkshire and you are:
- partially sighted or blind*;
- profoundly or severely deaf;
- without speech;
- someone who has a disability or injury, which has substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to walk;
- someone who does not have arms, or has a long-term loss of the use of both arms;
- someone who has a learning disability; that is, a state of arrested or incomplete development of mind, which includes significant impairment of intelligence and social functioning;
- someone who has been, or would be refused a driving license on certain medical grounds.
*defined as having a high degree of vision loss i.e. seeing much less than is normal or perhaps seeing nothing at all. In general terms a person will be eligible if they cannot see (with glasses, if worn) the top letter of the eye test chart used by opticians and doctors, at a distance of 3 metres.
Companion Travel
People entitled to a Blind Person’s Permit who are unable to travel alone conveniently, may be entitled to a special pass entitling a companion to travel with them . (It need not be the same person for every journey.) Guide dogs can travel free and there are no restrictions on guide dogs travelling on the lower deck of buses.
How do I order my English National Concessionary Pass?
Current Disabled or Blind Person’s Permit holders can use their permit as proof of eligibility to order a new English National Concessionary Pass as long as their address has not changed.
Application forms are available from Post Offices or Bus Station Travel Centres in West Yorkshire.
To order your new Pass, you must go in person to one of these outlets. You will need to show your current Permit and provide one recent full-faced, passport-sized colour photograph. You should not contact Social Services if your permit is valid after 31/3/08, your completed application should be processed via the Post Office of Bus Station Travel Centre outlets.
If your address has changed, please also provide proof of residence in West Yorkshire (such as a council tax bill, bank statement or recent gas/electricity/telephone bill).
Renewal Permit applicants (where current Permit expires before 31/03/08)
You will need to have your application approved by your local Social Services Office.
New Permit applicants
You will need to have your application approved by your local Social Services Office.
When will I receive my new English National Concessionary Pass?
If you ordered your new English National Concessionary Pass by the end of January 2008, you should have received it.
If your pass has not arrived by Tuesday 1 April, don’t worry it’s on its way and you will still be able to use your existing Metro Senior, Disabled Person's or Blind Person's Permit until it does arrive. If you are concerned that it has not turned up, please contact MetroLine on 0113 245 7676.
If you have not yet ordered your English National Concessionary Pass, you need to do so now. Even if you only want to travel within West Yorkshire, you will still need the new Pass, as the current Metro Permits are being phased out.
Where can Disabled people use their new Pass from April 2008?
For Bus Travel
From April 2008, your English National Concessionary Pass will entitle you to free, off-peak local bus travel throughout England.
For Train Travel
For West Yorkshire residents, your English National Concessionary Pass will also entitle you to train travel within West Yorkshire for just 35p*, after 0930 Mondays to Fridays and all day at weekends and public holidays.
Where can Blind people use their new Pass from April 2008?
You can travel anywhere in West Yorkshire on all trains and buses displaying the Metro symbol FREE AT ALL TIMES. From April 2008, your English National Concessionary Pass will entitle you to free, off-peak local bus travel throughout England.
Detailed information on using your English National Concessionary Pass will be published in March 2008.
