If you claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP) then you may be entitled to a free disabled person’s bus pass. Each local council sets its own eligibility criteria so it is important to check online to see if you qualify.
For example, if you’re a West Sussex County Council resident, you may be entitled to a free disabled person’s bus pass if you claim PIP and you scored at least eight points in the “moving around” part in the mobility assessment for PIP. You may also be eligible if you scored ten points or more in the “planning and following a journey” part of the mobility assessment for PIP, or at least eight points in the “communicating verbally” part of the daily living assessment for PIP.
If you live in Manchester, you can apply for a disabled person’s travel pass if you scored at least eight points in the “moving around” part of the mobility assessment for PIP, or at least eight points in the “communicating verbally” part of the daily living assessment for PIP.
If you live in London, you can apply for a disabled person’s Freedom Pass, which gets you free travel across the capital – including tube, bus and TfL Rail – as well as on local bus services across the UK. The Freedom Pass has a five year expiry date from when it was issued.
You don’t always need to be claiming PIP to get a free bus pass – for example, you may also be eligible if you claim Disability Living Allowance, War Pensioner’s Mobility Supplement, or if you have a Blue Badge for mobility. Again, it all depends on your council as each local authority has slightly different eligibility criteria.
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Last week, the Government announced plans to change the eligibility criteria for PIP. These changes would affect the daily living part of PIP – so if you claim the mobility part of PIP for your bus pass, there would be no change to your eligibility for this. You need between eight and 11 points to get the standard rate of the daily living part of PIP, and 12 points or more for the higher rate.
But from November 2026, you would need a minimum of four points in at least one activity to get the daily living part of PIP. Universal Credit is also changing. The standard allowance for a single person aged 25 or over rise from £92 a week in 2025/26 to £106 a week by 2029/30.
But the health element will be almost halved for new claimants from April 2026, reducing it from £97 a week in 2024/25 to £50 a week in 2026/27, and then frozen at this level until 2029/30. Those with the most severe, life-long health conditions will see their incomes protected through an additional premium.
For those already claiming the Universal Credit health element, the rate will be frozen at the current rate of £97 a week until 2029/30. There are also plans to scrap the Work Capability Assessment – which is used to determine if someone claiming Universal Credit is fit to work – and replace it with the PIP assessment.
Daily Living
Mobility
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