The Learning Disability Alliance Scotland is campaigning for the National Concessionary Travel Scheme to be extended to include everyone who receives the lower rates of the Disability Living Allowance. It is due to be reviewed in October 2008 and we believe this is the right time for a change to be made.


Many people, such as those with learning disabilities, received free travel under the old local schemes. This was continued under the transitional arrangements but now as these come to an end, many people are being told that they are no longer entitled to free bus travel. Very few local authorities keep any records on this. Often they just tell people over the phone that they are not entitled to the scheme. From the few local authorities who do keep records, it seems that lots of people are losing out. For example in Fife alone, 358 people with the lower levels of DLA have been refused renewal of their bus pass.

Lots of the local schemes had much wider entitlement than the national scheme so many people are losing out. We think that if people are assessed as being entitled for the Disability Living Allowance, that should be enough to trigger their entitlement to the National Concessionary Travel Scheme. There are about 30,000 under the age of 60 who receive the lower levels of the DLA only. Many of these might already qualify for the scheme through other routes, such as having a blue badge. It would cost less than 3% of the existing bill to extend the scheme to cover these people.

Sally Ann Elfverson, is a member of Enable Glasgow and attends the Thomas Fortune Work Centre. She has always enjoyed free local travel within the Strathclyde Passenger area. Now with the extension of the travel scheme to all of Scotland, Sally Ann may lose out.

Instead of getting to travel more, she can travel less and there are many more people in Sally Ann’s position. Sally Ann recently took this petition to the Scottish Parliament where she presented the case to committee.