The Department for Transport has confirmed a significant change to the eligibility age for free bus passes, impacting millions of people born between 1961 and 1977. Because the free bus pass age is linked to the state pension age managed by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), those turning 66 before April 2026 can continue to claim their free bus pass as before.
However, under the new plans from the Department for Transport and the Labour Party government, individuals celebrating their 66th birthday after April 2026 will need to wait longer to access their free bus pass. According to the government’s phased timetable for raising the state pension age, people reaching 66 in July 2026 will only be eligible for a free bus pass once they reach 66 years and 4 months.
Specifically, those born between March 6, 1961, and April 5, 1977, will become eligible for their free bus pass at age 67, reflecting the gradual increase aligned with the state pension age changes.
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The move coincides with broader efforts to reform public transportation. New Labour Party MP Andy Burnham, credited with transforming Manchester’s bus system, recently praised the shift back from deregulation toward greater public control of bus services. He stated, “You go from deregulation to regaining public control, it’s just unbelievable what becomes possible. It’s mind-blowing that deregulation was ever, ever brought in – public interest went out the window and people were cut off.”
Burnham added that the visible mark of public control—the bee symbol on buses—reflects tangible improvements that benefit residents.
Prof Tony Travers, a local government expert at the London School of Economics, commended Manchester’s integrated transport system, comparing its effectiveness to European cities. “It has cost quite a lot in subsidy, but it could have gone wrong and it’s gone right,” he said. “When I go to Manchester now I use the tram as I’d use the Métro in Paris – and that’s not true elsewhere in Britain. It’s made significant strides in creating the kind of integrated transport other European cities have.”
This adjustment to the free bus pass age underlines ongoing changes to public transportation policy and pension age reforms in the UK, affecting when millions can benefit from free travel.