Bus passes for older or disabled people

If your bus pass is due to expire in March, find out if we need information from you or whether your bus pass will be automatically renewed.

Renew your bus pass.

Free off-peak travel on local bus services across England, between 9:30am and 11pm, Monday to Friday and all day at weekends and public holidays.

Find out more about how you can use your pass.

Eligibility

You can get a free older person's bus pass if you are:

a Kent resident
a man or a woman who has reached the state pension age for women. Check when you qualify with the pension age calculator on GOV.UK.

You can get a free disabled person's bus pass if you live in Kent and you:

are blind or partially sighted
are profoundly or severely deaf
are without speech
have a disability or have suffered an injury, which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to walk
have no arms or can't use either of your arms
have a learning disability. Conditions such as ADHD, ASD and mild learning disabilities are not eligible in this category, unless you also have a reduced ability to understand new or complex information, learn new skills and cope independently.
would be refused a driving licence due to physical fitness (section 92 of the Road Traffic Act 1988). This includes disabilities that would cause someone to be a danger to the public if they drive. For example, dementia, cardiac disorders, severe mental disorders and long term epilepsy. This category is ONLY for people who have been or would be refused a driving licence. If your condition or disability would not result in the DVLA refusing to grant you a driving licence, you are not eligible for a pass under this category. You are not eligible for a free bus pass if your driving licence would be refused due to alcohol or drug misuse or a driving offence which has led to the withdrawal of your driving licence.

If you are disabled and are unable to travel alone, or already have a disabled person's bus pass and now need a companion to travel with you, find out if you are eligible for a disabled person and companion bus pass.

Supporting documents

As part of the online application process you will need to upload:

1. A photo of yourself

You will need a digital photo for your application. A passport-style photo is most appropriate, but not essential. If the photo on your bus pass does not look like you, the bus driver or inspector can refuse to accept it and may confiscate your pass.

2. Proof of address

Choose 1 of the following:

driving licence
utility bill from within the last year
bank or credit card statement from within the last year
Council Tax bill from within the last year.

You must inform us of any address changes.

If you do not tell us at least 6 weeks before your pass is due to expire, your pass may be sent to your previous address and you will be charged a £10 replacement fee for a pass to be sent to your new address. If you inform another department of your change of address, this does not mean that we will be notified of this change.

3. Proof of eligibility

For older person's bus passes

If you're applying for an older person's bus pass, choose 1 of the following:

birth certificate (and marriage certificate if your name has changed)
passport
driving licence (if you haven't used it for proof of address)
a letter from the pension service confirming you're eligible for the state pension.

You cannot use the same evidence for proof of address and proof of eligibility, even if the document includes your name and date of birth. We will reject your application if you do not include 2 different supporting documents.

For disabled person's bus passes

All documents should either be recent (within the last 12 months) or should state the expected duration of your condition, or that there is no expected improvement.

You can apply for a disabled person's bus pass, if you: