Firstly, you need to complete an application form. 

• Fill in an online application form for a Concessionary Bus Pass (opens new window)

• Blank Form for printing and completing by hand - (opens new window)

You can also obtain one from any of our customer service centres .


Evidence you will need to provide with your application  

We need to check that you are a permanent resident living within the district of Waveney so we will require you to bring in a utility bill or official letter with your address on. We will also need proof of your date of birth e.g. Birth Certificate, Passport, Medical Card etc. 

We also need one passport size photo (head and shoulders only). You should not be wearing a hat or sunglasses and you must look straight into the camera. Your photo must also be of reasonable quality. 

If you are applying on the grounds of disability we will require proof of your disability e.g. proof of eligibility to Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and where applicable the Mobility component, Disability card, doctor or other medical professional’s confirmatory letter etc. See below for more details for disabled applicants .


We will enter your data onto the bus pass system within five working days. The data will be sent to our card bureau and will be posted out to you, second class, within 2-3 days of receipt (you no longer need to supply a Stamped addressed envelope). Should you urgently require your pass (i.e. because you are making regular visits to a hospital or are soon to go on holiday) you will need to tell us.


Does my disability qualify for a free bus pass?

There are seven categories of disability identified as eligible to apply for concessionary free travel pass. Under each of these broad headings there are further rules that need to be considered before a pass is given. However, in line with the central principle of the Disability Discrimination Act definition, the types of disability that should enable people to claim the statutory minimum bus travel concession are those which are permanent, or which have lasted at least 12 months, or which are likely to last at least 12 months or are likely to recur. The disability should also have a substantial effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

The seven categories are:-

1. You are blind or partially sighted
2. You are profoundly or severely deaf
3. You are without speech
4. You have a disability, or have suffered an injury, which has substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to walk
5. You do not have arms or have long-term loss of the use of both arms
6. You have a learning disability, that is, a state of arrested or incomplete development of mind which includes significant impairment of intelligence and social functioning
7. You would be refused a licence to drive a motor vehicle under Part III of the Road Traffic Act 1988, Section 92 (physical fitness) e.g. you have epilepsy, liability to sudden attacks of giddiness or fainting, etc. NB Persons who have lost their licence through drug or alcohol misuse do not qualify.

If you are in receipt of one or both of the following state benefits, and have been so, or are likely to be so for at least 12 months, you will automatically be entitled to receive a free pass:

1. Higher Rate Mobility Component of the Disability Living Allowance
2. War Pensioner’s Mobility Supplement

However, in some cases you may also be eligible to apply even if you are on the lower or middle rate component depending upon the nature of your disability.

If you have been issued with a disabled persons’ parking badge (Blue Badge) you will be automatically entitled to a free bus pass as long as this is supported by relevant evidence of your disability. It does not, however, necessarily follow that a person who has a concessionary travel pass is eligible for a Blue Badge. 

Only children who are 16 years of age and over are eligible to apply for a disabled persons free bus pass. Children under this age would not pay the full adult fare on the bus and therefore do not qualify under the Act.

• Change of address or circumstances
• Lost or stolen bus passes
• Concessionary Travel introduction