If you're of eligible age or have a registered disability you are entitled to a national bus pass which allows you to enjoy free off-peak travel on local bus services anywhere in England.
Eligible age:
For a woman eligible age means state pension age, for a man this means pensionable age of a woman born the same day. For more information see Q3.
Bus Journeys are FREE if:
Off-peak is:
Please check local conditions for travelling outside of RBWM by contacting the relevant local authority.
NEWS - Renewing your National Bus Pass
Royal Borough bus pass users are being reminded that many passes began to expire from April 2012 - and being advised on what they need to do to renew them.
Anyone currently holding a National Bus Pass will be sent a letter from the council a few weeks before the pass is due to expire. Residents wishing to renew this pass should complete the tear-off form providing their:
- information is needed to verify that they are still eligible for a pass.
Once the form has been received their new National Bus Pass will be posted to them. There is no need to reapply in person.
However, anyone who has moved home or changed their name since receiving their bus pass must reapply in person with evidence that they are a permanent resident of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and, if relevant, evidence of their name change. (Please note that an Advantage Card is not suitable proof of residence and users need to bring their current bus pass).
Please help anyone you know who might find it ifficult to complete and return the form.
Residents unable to travel on a bus without assistance can apply for a companion pass. For details of how to apply contact the customer contact centre on 01628 683806 or email customer.service@rbwm.gov.uk.
Any bus passes which are no longer needed should be returned to the following address where they will be cancelled:
Concessionary Fares
CSC, RBWM
Town Hall, St Ives Road
Maidenhead SL6 1RF
Applications should be made in person at one of the Council's 5 issuing sites: Please bring evidence that you live permanently in the Royal Boroughof Windsor and Maidenhead (RBWM) and proof of age or disability. Please see pdf below for a full list of documents that we will accept as proof of eligibilty.
In instances where you are not able to produce any of these documents to prove your entitlement to a disability-related bus pass, you may need to make your own appointment to be assessed by an appropriate medical specialist.
We will take a photograph of you and carry out further checks on your application to verify your application. We will post your bus pass to you winthin 10 days.
Contact phone number 01628 683806.
Please note that the Companion Bus Passes are only issued from one of the two Customer Service Centres above.
Bus passes are not issued at Windsor Information Centre or Performance at Braywick.
All borough residents over the eligible age or who are registered disabled.
Women qualify for the older person's bus pass at their state pension age and men qualify at the pensionable age of a woman born on the same day.
The easiest way to find out when you can apply for your National Bus Pass is your date of birth.
Please see the Eligibility table webpage to find out when you will be eligible for an older person's bus pass.
There is also a 'ready reckoner' tool which enables people affected by the pension age changes to see at what age they become eligible for their state pension and associated benefits, including the National Bus Pass. You can find this on the Direct Gov website.
The seven categories of disability include any person who:
Please note: if you have a blue disabled parking badge you qualify for a bus pass. You do not, however, automatically qualify for a blue disabled parking badge if you have a disabled bus pass and further assessment of your disability may be required. If you would like to find out more about the blue disabled parking badge scheme, please see the Blue Badge webpage.
For more information about eligibility, please visit the Direct Gov website.
Bus journeys are free if:
Off-peak is:
Please check local conditions for travelling outside of RBWM by contacting the relevant local authority.
You may travel for free of charge when starting your local bus journey in RBWM at any time.
You may board a Green Line service (routes 701, 702) in RBWM at any time to make journeys as far as Bracknell in one direction and Langley in the other. For journeys to destinations beyond Langley (that is, to London) the pass may not be used on journeys coded 'red' in the Green Line timetable or before 8.15am Mondays to Fridays. For further information, please call Green Line on 0844 800 44 11 or visit the Green Line website.
A Companion Bus Pass is available to RBWM residents who are unable to travel by bus without assistance. This allows them to be accompanied by a person who will travle free of charge, subject to restrictions. See Questions, 11, 12 & 13 for more information.
Slough and Bracknell
You may use your bus pass on local bus journeys starting in Slough and Bracknell anytime.
England
Please assume that you may only travel free of charge in the rest of England on local bus journeys starting between 9.30am-11pm Monday to Friday and all day at weekends and on public holidays. This is the national minimum (off-peak times). Time restrictions are applied strictly.
Local benefits to extend this time may only be available to people resident in those areas. However, it is worth checking with the relevant local authority in the area you are visiting before you travel.
If you have a Companion Bus Pass the national minimum applies but your companion may have to pay the full adult fare if the journey is started outside RBWM.
Rest of UK
The National Bus Pass is only valid in England.
Show your pass to the driver as you get on. If the bus is fitted with an electronic pass reader, touch the reader with your pass. This identifies that you are entitled to a free journey and records that the journey has been made.
If you are unsure, please ask the driver when boarding the bus.
You can travel free of charge on local, off-peak bus services in England. Qualifying local bus services will be self-evident in most cases. They do not usually include services:
Other modes of transport (such as ferries, trains, tubes or trams) are also excluded.
The above list is not exhaustive but gives a guide to the main exemptions; if in doubt please check with the service operator or contact the local authority in which you will be travelling.
For information on times, fares and routes call Traveline Southeast on 0871 200 22 33 or visit Travel Line South East website.
Find bus timetables on board local buses or there is a limited selection available from the Customer Service Centre, Town Hall in Maidenhead and at York House, Windsor, your local Library and Windsor Tourist Information Centre.
The real-time bus information text service
Receive bus times via your mobile phone wherever you are, whatever you're doing. Send the unique bus stop code (shown on the bus stop sign) to 84268 for scheduled times to 87296 (TRBWM) for real time information. Texts cost 25p plus your network operator's normal charge. To find out more about this service pick up the 'Bus Time by Text' leaflet.
A Companion Bus Pass is available to RBWM residents who are unable to travel by bus without assistance. This allows them to be accompanied by a person who will travel for free of charge, subject to restrictions.
You must show your Companion Bus Pass to the driver when boarding the bus.
If you have a Companion Bus Pass and you start a journey in RBWM with a companion you will both travelfree of charge. Both you and your companion must board and alight the bus at the same points.
Your companion may be any person of your choice, including young carers, who can assist you on a bus. A companion is not restricted to one specific person, but only one companion may travel for free of charges on any one journey. Your companion will not receive a bus pass on their own right.
Because the Companion Bus Pass is a local benefit for RBWM residents your companion may have to pay the full adult fare when starting a journey outside RBWM. However, it is worth checking with the relevant local authority in the area you are visiting before you travel.
The Companion Bus Pass may be used by the bus pass holder for free travel when not accompanied by a companion.
You may not hold both a Companion Bus Pass and a standard National Bus Pass. When you apply for a Companion Bus Pass you will be asked to return your standard National Bus Pass to RBWM Council.
In addition to being a resident of RBWM and either of eligible age or registered disabled, you are eligible for the Companion Bus Pass if you can show that you find it impossible to travel by bus without assistance. Applications are considered on a case by case basis.
To qualify for a Compaion Bus Pass you will need to show specialist proof - ie a letter from a GP, medical specialist or social worker - confirming that you are unable to travel on buses without the help of a carer.
Companion Bus Pass applications may only be made in person at Maidenhead Customer Service Centre or Windsor Customer Service Centre.
Who can apply for a Companion Bus Pass?
If you already have a standard National Bus Pass you will be given a postage paid envelope to return this to the Council once you have received your Companion Bus Pass.
Yes, please go to one of our issuing sites with proof that you are a permanent RBWM resident. Please be aware that proof of age or disability may also be required. Please be aware that each replacement will incur an admin charge of £15 with some exceptions, such as having a Police Crime Number. This fee also applies if you change your name (for example, through marriage).
Please return the bus pass to:
Concessionary Fares
CSC, RBWM
Town Hall, St Ives Road
Maidenhead SL6 1RF
We will cancel the bus pass and destroy it securely.
You need only apply for a new National Bus Pass when your current pass expires, even if your current pass was issued by a different local authority.
The chip in your card may be faulty. Please contact us on 01628 683806.
Four types of passes are issued within RBWM:
There is a red rose and ribbon running across the top of the cards to represent England. You will also see the RBWM crest on the top right.
Following your application for a National Bus Pass, further checks will be made using the information you provided to verify your eligibility.
The Council has a duty in law to administer a national bus pass scheme for qualifying residents. We will contact you if our checks indicate that you may not be eligible.
The personal details used to produce your pass will be processed in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. Further information about Data Protection and your rights are available on our website and on the Information Commissioners Office website.
By email: customer.services@rbwm.gov.uk
By telephone: 01628 683806
By post: Concessionary Fares, CSC, RBWM, Town Hall, St Ives Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 1RF
Web page: Bus Services
A list of documents that will be accepted as proof of eligibility.