Menu

Charge for Preston disabled passengers catching an early bus set to rise

Posted on - 27th March, 2018 - 7:00am | Author - | Posted in - Politics, Preston News, Transport
The 23 leaves the Bus Station Pic: 70023venus2009
The 23 leaves the Bus Station Pic: 70023venus2009

Preston bus passengers who have a NoWcard could pay more to use the bus outside of off-peak hours.

Advertisement

Lancashire County Council is lining up an increase of the charge for travel before 9.30am on weekdays.

Advertisements
Preston Weekender advert

Currently it is 50p for anyone who holds the disabled card to travel before 9.30am on a weekday, this would double to £1.

Free travel would remain between 9.30am to 11pm on weekdays, and all weekends and Bank Holidays for those with the NoWcard.

A consultation is running on the proposed rise in the charge from Monday (26 March) to Monday 21 May.

Advertisements

Read more: More time given for Capitol Centre park and ride to prove its worth

Cabinet member for highways and transport county councillor Keith Iddon said: “Like many councils, we are facing an extremely challenging financial position, with a forecasted funding gap of £144m in 2021/22.

“We’re committed to providing the best services we can, particularly to the most vulnerable in our communities, which is why we offer a concession to disabled NoWcard holders to travel outside the times mandated by the national scheme.

“To help us reduce the pressure on the budget, we’re proposing to increase the charge to travel before 9.30am on weekdays from 50p to £1.

“However we don’t want to make a decision before considering how it will affect people, and I’m grateful for people taking the time to respond to the consultation over the coming weeks.”

Advertisements
barton manor gym

How to give your views to the county council

The consultation is via the county council website.

For those who would like the questionnaire in a different format they can phone 03001236734.

What is the NowCard?

It’s set up to work across Cumbria, Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool Councils.

The cards are for anyone aged five and over and cover blindness or being partially sighted, deaf, without speech, learning disabilities, loss of the use of both arms, walking disabilities and other disabilities.

Holding a card is free and entitles you to free travel after 9.30am on weekdays. There’s more details on the NoWcard website.

Will this affect you? Let us know in the comments below

Share
Advertisements
caritas fostering advert
Preston in pictures Preston Bus 207 PO56 JDX (Scania N94UB / East Lancs Esteem)24.03.24 - Penwortham [Church of St Mary] 240323JPGDSC_7658 - Bus stationDSC_7676 - Miller ArcadeDSC_7681 - former Post Office, cenotaph and Town HallDSC_7682 - Central Methodist church, Lune StreetDSC_7668 - Fish (aka Box) MarketDSC_7672 - Miller Arcade View more Advertisement Subscribe to the newsletter

Sign up below to receive Blog Preston's email newsletter. It wings its way into inboxes every Sunday and Wednesday rounding up our top stories and more.

Advertisement News by location

Find news by location, select an area of your choice to be kept up to date with the latest goings on.

The Preston Guide

Discover local businesses and services near you.

    Advertisements
Advertisement Categories

Find news by category, select an category of your choice to be kept up to date with the latest goings on.

Blog Preston email updates

Receive our digest of the biggest and best stories every Sunday to your email inbox

We respect your privacy and you can unsubscribe at any time from our emails