Free bus cross age eligibility change happening this month for pensioners
The State Pension age in England is gradually rising from 66 to 67, with the latest phase of free bus pass eligibility changes now underway in August 2026
Bus passes are chaning (stock photo)(Image: Getty)
A fresh regulation impacting free bus pass entitlement for state pensioners in England is taking effect this August following legislative changes.
The UK State Pension age is presently undergoing an increase from 66 to 67, with the gradual transition having commenced earlier this year on April 6. This age rise is being rolled out in stages across a two-year timeframe set to conclude in 2028, impacting anyone born after April 6, 1960.
The alteration means that individuals whose 66th birthday occurs during the transitional phase not only encounter a lengthier wait to qualify for the State Pension, but those in England also experience a postponement in obtaining a free bus pass. Entitlement to a free bus pass in England is tied to State Pension age, so if your 66th birthday is approaching, the legislative change means you’ll now need to wait until you’re 66 and a specific number of months before securing your free bus pass.
Free bus pass eligibility is linked to State Pension age in England (stock)(Image: Getty)
In London, you can apply for a 60+ London Oyster photocard which permits you to travel without charge on bus, Tube, tram, DLR, London Overground and most National Rail services in the capital. You must reside in a London borough to obtain it and pay a £36 administration charge to establish it, plus an £18.50 yearly address eligibility verification fee for each year you hold your photocard to maintain it.
Upon reaching State Pension age, you can then transfer to the complimentary Older Person’s Freedom Pass. The Department for Transport (DfT) confirmed to The Express that eligibility for a free bus pass is shifting in line with the State Pension age rise, with the next stage now beginning this month affecting anyone born between August 6, 1960, and September 5, 1960, reports the Express.
Based on the DWP schedule, pensioners set to reach 66 between these dates encounter an additional five-month delay before they can claim their State Pension, and consequently, their free bus pass.
For instance, if you were born on August 6, 1960, the age rise means you will become entitled to claim both your State Pension and free bus pass on January 6, 2026, when you are precisely 66 years and five months old.
A DfT spokesperson told The Express: “Eligibility for an older person’s bus pass under the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme is linked to State Pension age. This means eligibility will change in line with the increase in State Pension age from April.
Londoners have special entitlements (file)(Image: Getty)
“People born between 6 April 1960 and 5 March 1961 will qualify at 66 plus a specified number of months, depending on their date of birth.
“There is a tool to check the date people become eligible for a bus pass at Check your State Pension age – GOV.UK, by entering their date of birth.”
State Pension eligibility becomes increasingly postponed the later in the year your 66th birthday occurs, rising by one month each time. This means those reaching 66 in the month from September 6 face an additional six-month delay, while those hitting 66 in the month from October 6 encounter an extra seven-month wait, and so forth until the age increase to 67 is finalised.
Consequently, some individuals will be nearer to age 66 when they can obtain their free bus pass, while others will be merely a month or two shy of their 67th birthday by the time they become entitled. Anyone with a birthday after March 5, 1961, will qualify for a free bus pass in England from age 67.
The DWP has confirmed the following schedule for the rise in State Pension age from 66 to 67, which reveals when individuals with birthdays between April 6, 1960, and March 5, 1961 can claim their State Pension, and consequently, their free bus pass in England:.
The DWP stated: “The Pensions Act 2014 brought the increase in the State Pension age from 66 to 67 forward by eight years. The State Pension age for men and women will now increase to 67 between 2026 and 2028.
“The Government also changed the way in which the increase in State Pension age is phased so that rather than reaching State Pension age on a specific date, people born between 6 April 1960 and 5 March 1961 will reach their State Pension age at 66 years and the specified number of months.
” For people born after 5 April 1969 but before 6 April 1977, under the Pensions Act 2007, State Pension age was already 67.”
