Portsmouth buses: Changes to older person's bus pass start next week

Approved by the city council's cabinet member for transport, councillor Lynne Stagg, last month, holders will be able to use their bus pass from 9am and even earlier for travel to hospital appointments.

‘This is a much-needed change especially during a cost of living crisis and demonstrates Portsmouth City Council's continual dedication to both listening to the feedback of our residents regarding their freedom to travel and the removal of their barriers to healthcare,’ Cllr Stagg said.

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Under the current system, passes can only be used from 9.30am - a limit introduced due to fears buses would be overcrowded with morning commuters.

But recent falls in usage, mainly due to increased home-working and more flexible job hours brought about since the start of the pandemic, have prompted the extension.

‘Bus use is also down generally, although that is recovering, so I felt we could move that to 9am where there is demand from people who want to travel earlier,' Cllr Stagg said.

Older person’s bus passes can now be used from 9am to 11pm Monday to Friday and all day during weekends and bank holidays.

To be able to make use of travel to hospital appointments earlier in the morning, proof such as an appointment letter, text message or email needs to be shown to the bus driver.

The changes have been brought in on an initial six-month trial which will be used to test the effectiveness of early morning hospital journeys with the potential for this to be extended further to cover other health trips, including GP visits.

The 9.30am start time was temporarily removed by the city council for three months at the start of last year to help older people travel to early morning vaccination appointments.

The council has estimated the extension of the older person's bus passes will cost £78,000 a year with early morning hospital travel expected to cost a further £5,000.

Cllr Stagg said in September that the council would assess the effectiveness of the measures during the trial and that it could be extended to include GP and other non-hospital appointments in the future.