Disabled and elderly people have been able to travel on buses at any time of the day

20:28, 30 Aug 2025Updated 20:46, 30 Aug 2025

The trial has also allowed pass holders to use the
Bee Network’s night buses(Image: Copyright Unknown)

More than 40 foodbanks, organisations and charities in Greater Manchester have called for the permanent extension of a scheme that allows older and disabled people to travel for free on Bee Network buses at any time during the day.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) announced it would be running a trial to allow older and disabled TfGM concessionary pass holders to travel on buses before 9.30am for free throughout August. Across the UK, travel on concessionary bus passes is typically limited to after 9.30am on weekdays.

The trial in Greater Manchester is due to end on Sunday, August 31, but charities are calling for it to be made permanent to make transport around the city fairer and more inclusive.

Making bus travel free before 9.30am for those with concessionary passes has meant disabled and elderly people have been able to access work, social and educational opportunities, as well as things like medical appointments, according to campaigners.

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Last week, 44 foodbanks, charities and organisations – including Citizens Advice, Greater Manchester Disabled People’s Panel, Manchester Central Foodbank, Manchester Deaf Centre, Transport for All, and Trussell – sent an open letter to Andy Burnham to ask for the trial to be extended.

The letter stated: “We the undersigned are writing to commend you, the GMCA and TfGM on the current trial of concessionary travel pass holders travelling on Bee Network buses for free at any time of day.

“We urge you to make this trial into a permanent measure. We are very glad to see that the voices of older and disabled people have been heard, and believe that unrestricted travel will be hugely beneficial for older and disabled people’s independence, finances, social inclusion, access to employment, education and healthcare.”

Joe Troop, who works at Trafford Foodbanks and organised the open letter, said: “As food banks we know that disabled people are massively overrepresented in people who are forced through our door and people who we need to provide emergency food for. We know that older people are the fastest growing group of people who are being referred to us for our service.

“We started the campaign thinking about the possible restrictions to work or educational opportunities that this 9.30am restriction might have on disabled and older people, like social activities or medical appointments.

“We know that older people face isolation – would this 9.30am restriction contribute to that?”

Joe Troop, organiser at Trafford Foodbanks(Image: Joe Troop)

The groups also drafted an easy read version of the letter – which uses short sentences and bullet points – so that they could share it with the disabled people that they work with.

The trial has been a “hugely positive thing for Greater Manchester,” according to Joe, who wanted to add the voice of foodbanks – who increasingly support older and disabled people who are “massively over represented” in the communities they serve – to the conversation.

Research by Scope shows that disabled people are almost twice as likely to be unemployed as non-disabled people, and three times as likely to be “economically inactive”. Trussell has also found that three-quarters of people referred to food banks in the Trussell network say that they or a member of their household are disabled.

Another issue behind restricting disabled bus travel, Joe said, is that often supermarkets will have quiet times when older or neuro-divergent people are encouraged to shop because stores are quieter at those times – often in the morning.

“So if someone has a concessionary bus pass, they might not actually be able to access things that are specifically designed to support them,” Joe said.

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Joe mentioned how he was building on the work of his colleague Tom Wardle who started a campaign called Waterside Changemakers to improve public transport in Hampshire.

TfGM say that they will now review the findings of the pilot that has ran throughout August and share their next steps in the coming future.

Danny Vaughan, Chief Network Officer at TfGM, said: “It was always the plan that the concessionary pass pilot would initially run for one month in August, allowing older and disabled people to travel for free around the clock.

“The trial period comes to an end on Sunday and we’d like to remind older and disabled pass holders that the pre-9:30am travel restriction will resume on Monday 1 September.

“We’ll now review the findings of the trial, including passenger feedback, and will share next steps in due course.”

Anyone affected by the trial coming to an end can send an email to joetroop@traffordnorth.foodbank.org.uk to share their feedback to be included in a testimonial sent to TfGM.