Concessionary Fares
In April 2008, the Bus Concessionary Fares Scheme was extended so that anyone of retirement age or over, or who is registered disabled, is entitled to free travel on any off-peak local bus service in any part of England. The Government invests around £1 billion per annum in the scheme, resulting in around 11 million people being eligible for free travel. Operators are reimbursed a percentage of the full fare by local authorities for each journey taken.
Concessionary passengers represent around 30% of Go-Ahead’s bus passengers and around 20% of bus revenue.