Older person's bus pass

What your Cheshire East bus pass entitles you to

Journeys starting in Cheshire East:

• Monday to Friday before 9.30am – half fare
• Monday to Friday between 9.30am and last bus – free
• Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays – free

Journeys outside of Cheshire East:

• Monday to Friday between 9.30am to 11pm - free
• Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays - free

Cheshire East passes are not valid for journeys into Wales.

Blind/partially sighted

If you are a Cheshire East resident and hold a disabled persons ENCTS pass on the grounds of visual impairment and have been issued with a fluorescent wallet then you are entitled to free travel on all local bus journeys starting in Cheshire East regardless of time. The pass must be retained in the fluorescent wallet provided at all times in order to receive all the concessions to which you are entitled.

Exclusions

The English National Concessionary Bus Pass issued by Cheshire East Council is not valid for use on:

• bus services on which the majority of seats can be reserved in advance of travel (such as coaches)
• bus services that are intended to run for a period of less than 6 consecutive weeks
• bus services operated primarily for the purposes of tourism or because of the historical interest of the vehicle
• bus substitution (rail replacement) services
• bus services where the fare charged by the operator has a special amenity element
• tours, excursions and sightseeing buses
• express bus services such as National Express
• night buses
• trains, trams, ferries, Metrolink or Underground.

Replacement bus passes - lost, stolen and damaged passes

The charge for a replacement bus pass that has been lost or damaged is £10. Stolen passes will be replaced free of charge on production of a crime number issued by the police.

If you find your original pass after we have issued a replacement, you must return the original pass to the address on the reverse for secure disposal as it will have been cancelled on the system to prevent further use. We cannot issue a refund after a replacement pass has been issued.

You can request a replacement for a lost or damaged bus pass through  the My Bus Pass portal or in person at any of the Cheshire East libraries. Stolen passes can only be replaced at a Cheshire East library.

Renew your bus pass

If your bus pass is due to expire and you have used it in the last 12 months, it will be renewed automatically. We will post your pass to you before your current pass expires and you don’t need to contact us or take any action.

If you have changed your address since your current pass was provided, you will need to visit a Cheshire East library with evidence of your new address at least 4 weeks before expiry of your current pass.

If you have not used your bus pass in the last 12 months, it will not be renewed automatically. If you want to use bus services in the future, you can re-apply through the My Bus Pass portal or call the concessionary travel team on 01270 371477. We will post your new bus pass to your home address and it should arrive within 10 working days from when we receive the completed application.

Address changes

If you have moved house since your pass was issued you will need to update your details so we have the correct address to send your new pass to.

You will need to take proof of your new address such as a Council Tax bill, utility bill or recent bank statement as evidence of the change to any of the Cheshire East libraries.

Name changes

If your name change is due to marriage, civil partnership, divorce or deed poll, we will need suitable legal documentation to update your details. You will need to visit an office in person with suitable legal evidence of the change.

Changes can only be made in person at any of the Cheshire East libraries.

Cheshire East Council is required by law to protect the public funds it administers. The Council may share information provided to it with other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds, in order to prevent and detect fraud.

Data matching involves comparing computer records held by one body against other computer records held by the same or another body to see how far they match. This is usually personal information. Computerised data matching allows potentially fraudulent claims and payments to be identified. Where a match is found it indicates that there is an inconsistency which requires further investigation. No assumption can be made as to whether there is fraud, an error has been made or if there is another explanation, until an investigation is carried out.

The Cabinet Office currently requires us to participate in a data matching exercise called the National Fraud Initiative (NFI) to assist in the prevention and detection of fraud. We are required to provide concessionary travel data to the Cabinet Office for matching for each exercise. These data matching exercises will satisfy data protection and human rights principles. For further details on these exercises see www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/nfi or phone the council on 0300 123 5500.

• Cheshire East Concessionary Travel Scheme (proposed) Valid for period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 (PDF, 216KB)
• Bus Pass holders terms and conditions (PDF, 341KB)