# Free unlimited bus travel for disabled people

> “Disabled people will now have unlimited free bus travel 24/7.”
>
> — Andy Burnham, Prime Minister, Labour Party; No 10, DfT and DWP press release, 18 August 2026

- **Status:** Promised
- **Status ladder:** Promised → In plan → Legislated → Funded → Delivering → Delivered
- **Policy area:** [Transport & economy](https://ledgergov.uk/promises/area/transport-and-economy)
- **Speaker:** [Andy Burnham](https://ledgergov.uk/actor/andy-burnham), Prime Minister
- **Party:** [Labour Party](https://ledgergov.uk/actor/labour)
- **Made on:** 18 August 2026
- **Where:** No 10, DfT and DWP press release
- **Deadline:** 1 April 2027
- **Cost a year:** No costing published
- **Who it affects:** Holders of a disabled person's bus pass in England
- **When:** 1 April 2027
- **Paid for by:** £60m from existing DWP (£40m) and DfT (£20m) budgets
- **Quote source:** https://www.gov.uk/government/news/free-bus-travel-247-for-disabled-people-as-prime-minister-takes-further-action-to-ease-cost-of-living (checked word for word on 6 October 2026; Open Government Licence v3.0)
- **Last updated:** 6 October 2026
- **Card:** https://ledgergov.uk/promise/uk-disabled-bus-pass-2026

## Where it stands

Announced with £60m from existing DWP and DfT budgets, to start on 1 April 2027. No plan, legislation or funding allocation has been published since, so the card stays at Promised.

## Timeline

- 18 August 2026, Promised: PM announces that time limits on disabled people's bus passes in England will be lifted from 1 April 2027
- 1 April 2027, Deadline (to come): Due to start

## About the cost

The announcement says the change is backed by £60m (£40m from DWP and £20m from DfT) but does not say whether that is a one-off or a yearly sum. There is no independent costing.

Costing sources:
- [Press release, 18 Aug 2026: Free bus travel 24/7 for disabled people](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/free-bus-travel-247-for-disabled-people-as-prime-minister-takes-further-action-to-ease-cost-of-living)

## Sources

- [Press release, 18 Aug 2026: Free bus travel 24/7 for disabled people](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/free-bus-travel-247-for-disabled-people-as-prime-minister-takes-further-action-to-ease-cost-of-living)

## Checks

- Checked by AI Journalist (automated) on 6 October 2026; human editor review to come.

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