Disabled residents hand-delivered letters to Hampshire County Council cabinet members in Winchester this week (12 March) in a last-ditch effort to persuade them to cancel planned cuts to their bus passes.
The cuts will damage the independence and well-being of thousands of people who cannot drive because of their disability and rely on buses to get to work, shops and medical appointments.
The council plans to ban disabled residents from using their passes before 9.30am and after 11pm on weekdays from April 1. Those who cannot travel alone will also be stripped of their “companion pass” which currently gives free travel to a volunteer who assists them.
The cuts will affect 17,884 disabled residents but save only £73,000: £70,000 by cutting the additional hours and £3,000 by cancelling companion passes. Pensioners in areas with an infrequent bus service will also lose their right to use their older person’s passes between 9am and 9.30am, saving £1,500.(click here for more information).
More than 1,700 people have signed a petition calling on Hampshire County Council to stop the cuts. The petition says: “In the long-term, these cuts will act to worsen the mental health crisis affecting Hampshire’s communities by increasing isolation and the financial strain on the most vulnerable people.”
Waterside Changemakers, a group which campaigns to help disadvantaged people, invited the council’s leader, Nick Adams-King, and his fellow cabinet members to meet disabled residents and receive their letters.
Below are extracts from some of the letters which were presented to the councillors.
Trevina Davies, 45, from Butts Ash, lost her driving licence five years ago after an eye disease impaired her vision. She uses her pass to get to her job in a shop.
Trevina wrote: “I will have to start paying for the bus to work every day. I still try and work and not claim benefits and this feels like a bit of a kick in the teeth if I’m honest. I will never get my driving licence back so I rely on buses.”
Paul Diaper, 66, from Marchwood, is registered blind and uses his bus pass before 9.30am to travel with his guide dog Liam to Totton where he does voluntary work for Headway, the brain injury charity.
He wrote: “I also use my pass to go shopping and I go early because it’s quieter then and it’s better for Liam because I don’t want to be out with him in the hot sun.
“The cost Hampshire County Council is trying to save on the bus pass is such a small amount compared to the benefit it gives to people like me.”
Paul Fields, 32, from Hythe, uses his bus pass to get to Totton where he does voluntary work for FareShare, a charity which redistributes surplus food to vulnerable people. His autism and other disabilities mean he cannot handle money and fears he will have to give up his charity work when his bus pass is curtailed.
Paul wrote: “My volunteer job at FareShare is a lifeline for me. Not being able to use my pass will make me panic as I don’t know money and can’t speak to strangers.”
Patricia Clements, 58, who lost her sight in 2022, said the withdrawal of the pass before 9.30am will make it harder for her to visit the eye hospital and stay well by exercising.
The former staff nurse from Marchwood uses her pass at 6.30am to go to a swimming pool in Southampton. Swimming is vital to keep her fit and by going early she can avoid streets when they are busy and use an empty lane at the pool.
Patricia also needs to travel early in the morning because she suffers from photophobia which means strong sunlight causes her severe pain.
She said Hampshire County Council had failed to inform her and other disabled people about its plans to withdraw their ability to use their bus passes before 9.30am.
Patricia wrote “It’s appalling that the council failed to give me and others a fair opportunity to explain how badly we will be affected by these cuts.”
She said she would also be impacted by the council’s decision to withdraw companion passes, which give free travel to a person assisting a disabled pass holder.
“People who help us are volunteering their time and it seems wrong to make them pay to do so,” she wrote.
“I try to be as independent as possible but I need a companion when making unfamiliar journeys and removing this concession will make things harder for me.
“My sight loss means I cannot drive so I am very dependent on buses and there is only a limited service anyway in Marchwood.
“These cuts are a false economy because people who currently travel by bus will become more dependent on social care packages to remain mobile.”
Susan Dorsett, 62, from Knightwood/Valley Park, has a very limited bus service where she lives. She would have to change buses to get to most destinations and the cuts would force her to pay £6 per one-way trip. She also sometimes uses her pass after 11pm to get home from her voluntary role at the Theatre Royal in Winchester.
She wrote: “My unrestricted bus pass is vital to my daily life, my fitness and my wellbeing.
“Without this freedom I am largely trapped and isolated within my own home, heavily reliant on the kindness of busy car drivers (who do not necessarily live near me) to get to essential medical appointments and treatment; to visit my friends and family; to visit the shops, community events and venues.
“I cannot access our railway stations, or other modes of transport when I need to travel. I cannot afford the bus fares involved in changing services multiple times.
“So please, Hampshire County Council, try to place yourself in my shoes and those of other disabled bus passengers, and reverse your decision to enable a brighter, healthier, happier future for all your residents, not just the mobile, able bodied.”
Claire Hodge, 47, from Hythe, uses her pass to take her son to his primary school and also to get to early morning GP or hospital appointments.
She said: “The school run on the bus is the only task I can do and the only time I get to spend time with my son outdoors. We do not holiday.
“Come April 1st, I will be expected to pay £4.30 for my son to travel to school and £4.30 for myself (a Hythe local return ticket costs the same for an adult and a child). That’s £8.60 per day, £172 every 4 weeks, nearly half of my personal independence payment.
“Our disabilities don’t start at 09.30, they are 24/7 and lifelong. I wouldn’t mind a discounted journey up to 09.30, similar to the £1 after 6pm, I appreciate money needs to be saved.”
New Forest Mencap is one of the charities which wrote to Hampshire County Council last month calling on it to stop the cuts.
Pauline Pegram, chairperson of New Forest Mencap, said the withdrawal of the companion pass would cause particular hardship.
She said: “Only a small proportion of those with a Disabled Person’s Bus Pass are eligible for Companion Plus, which is crucial for individuals who cannot travel alone. The enhancement costs the council just £3,000 per year and is essential for ensuring that eligible individuals can access the community safely and do not end up isolated.”
A spokesperson for Waterside Changemakers said: “Hampshire residents face a postcode lottery when it comes to the disabled bus pass. Portsmouth City Council recently decided to extend benefits which allow disabled pass holders to use their passes at any time of day, as well as giving those who need it a companion pass. But Hampshire County Council has decided to cut these benefits.
“What we really need is for the government to expand the statutory minimum period for the disabled bus pass so it can be used 24/7 and also require companion passes to be provided to those who need them. The government also needs to provide the funds to councils to pay for this.
“Disabled bus pass holders in the whole of Scotland, Wales and Greater London can already use their passes at all times of day.”
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