Bus Pass Signatures

Since 1st April 2008 everyone over the age of 60 years is entitled to a pass which entitles them to free travel on local buses anywhere in England.

This also applies for "eligible disabled" * and patients are turning up with forms for the doctor to sign to prove eligibility. This is a poor use of NHS resources when there are many other ways of proving eligibility without abusing GP time and resources.

There is no obligation for you to sign these forms
If you do so, you may charge a fee
The local councils have been urged by the DOH guidance to set up a method for validating such claims which does not throw work onto GPs

A letter template to decline this work to your patients

A letter template to decline this work for your patients to submit to the bus company

(our thanks to Dr Terry and partners in Southampton for letting us use their letters to design these templates)

The Government Department of Trasport recommendation to Local Authorities is that GPs should not be used to verify claims and ideally the Local Authority should set up assessment centres for people seeking concessionary passes who do not have other methods of proving disability (such as receipt of invalidity benefit, ownership of a blue badge, etc)

(see sections 24- 26 of this document Department of Transport Advice to Local Authorities on Eligibility Criteria for Concessionary Travel)

* Criteria listed on the government website is as follows

if you are blind or partially sighted

if you are profoundly or severely deaf

if you are without speech

if you have a disability, or have suffered an injury, which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to walk

if you do not have arms or have long-term loss of the use of both arms

if you have a learning disability - a state of arrested or incomplete development of mind which includes significant impairment of intelligence and social functioning, or would, if you applied for a licence to drive a motor vehicle under Part III of the Road Traffic Act 1988, have your application refused under section 92 of the Act (physical fitness) on grounds other than persistent misuse of drugs or alcohol