Grace period agreed to support bus pass holders who have yet to apply for their new travel cards

Plans for what happens after the 31 December 2019 when Wales’ largest renewal programme officially comes to an end have been announced.

These plans are an important step to support the small number of people who’ve yet to apply or receive their new-style cards.

Over the past few months, Transport for Wales has been managing the reissue programme to replace all over 60s and disabled persons’ bus passes with new-style Concessionary Travel Cards before their expiry date at the end of December 2019.

Chief Executive of Transport for Wales, James Price, said “We’d like to thank everyone who has applied for their new bus card so far. Since September we’ve received over 550,000 applications, which includes 25,000 paper applications and there’s been a significant operation behind the scenes to process all the applications as quickly as possible.

“However, there may be people who haven’t applied yet or customers who are still waiting for their new cards to arrive. As a result, we are implementing a grace period in the new year and have worked with bus operators to agree a period of two months. During this time bus drivers should accept both old and new-style cards for travel.

“It’s important to stress that this period will be temporary and is not an extension of the deadline. Those who wish to continue receiving the travel benefits into 2020 will need to reapply for their new card by 31 January to make sure that we have time to issue a new card before 29 February.”

The Minister of Economy and Transport, Ken Skates, said “The renewal programme has been a huge undertaking and I have been impressed with how Transport for Wales has worked with local authorities and partner organisations. Many people eligible for a bus pass are amongst the most vulnerable in our communities.

“While the majority of applications are in, the expiry date is fast approaching and we have agreed an official grace period. This temporary extension will give more time to those who need it, and help alleviate concern for people who haven’t received their new card.”

Transport for Wales will continue to focus on making sure everyone who has applied receives their card as quickly as possible, and those who rely on their bus passes are aware of the changes and know how to apply and how to access support.

TfW say applying online is simple and easy, taking around 10 minutes at www.tfw.wales/travelcards. Paper applications are available Wrexham Council or by calling 0300 303 4240.