Free bus pass

You can apply for a bus pass for free travel when you reach the female State Pension age (whether you're a man or a woman) or if you have certain disabilities. This gives you free travel on most local bus services in England between 9.30 and 11pm weekdays and all day at weekends and on public holidays. In Plymouth, you can also use it on park and ride services.

While our customer-facing offices are closed, anyone wishing to apply for a concessionary bus pass can do so online. More details can be found below. If you have any queries, you can contact the Sustainable Transport Team at publictransport@plymouth.gov.uk.

If you're aged 80 and over or registered blind, you can enhance your pass so that you can travel free before 9.30 (within Plymouth). Update your pass (up to 10 days before your 80th birthday) by calling 01752 668000 or emailing publictransport@plymouth.gov.uk.

Apply online for a bus pass

If you're applying for your bus pass, you can now do this online. You'll need the following information:

proof you live in Plymouth (acceptable proof is found below)
proof of age or disability, depending on what grounds you're applying under (acceptable proof is found below)
a passport-style photograph

Apply for a bus pass

Proof that you live in Plymouth

Please provide one of the following with your name and address:

Council tax bill (Current financial year)
Utility bill (No older than 3 months)
Driving licence (photo driving licence only)
Rental agreement
Bank statement (No older than 3 months)
Letter from the Department for Work and Pensions (No older than 12 months)
Mooring licence for a site in Plymouth (if you live on a boat)

If you don't have any of the above, bring a letter from your landlord that says you're a Plymouth resident, plus the landlord's council tax bill printed with their name.

Foreign nationals whose sole or principal residence is in Plymouth would be eligible. Persons whose sole or principal residence is outside England are not eligible, whether or not they hold a British passport. In respect of boat dwellers, a mooring licence for a site in Plymouth would be acceptable evidence of residency.

Proof of age

Please provide one of the following original documents:

Birth certificate
Passport (valid)
Driving licence
Letter from the Department for Work and Pensions confirming state retirement pension (No older than 3 months)
NHS medical card bearing name and date of birth
Printed prescription bearing name and date of birth

For all applications, you will also be asked to provide your national insurance number.

If you do not have any of the documents listed above and you were born in Plymouth, you can obtain a copy of your birth certificate here.

Proof of disability

Please note that we do not accept letters from GPs as an acceptable form of evidence.

We do not accept handwritten letters as evidence from any provider under any circumstances. They must be typed on headed paper, dated, and signed. Letters used to support an application must be no older than 12 months old.

Replacement passes

If you have a pass because of a disability, you can renew it two weeks before your current card's expiration date.

If you have a pass because of your age, you'll automatically receive a replacement pass about a week before your current pass expires.

Cancellation of bus passes

Your bus pass may be cancelled if:

We have received information that you have changed your address. Have you recently changed addresses?
Because the Council wrote to you asking for further proof of eligibility. Do you need to confirm your eligibility?
Because your bus pass was reported as lost or stolen.
Your bus pass has not been used within the Plymouth city boundary within a period of 9 months prior to the expiration date of your current pass.

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