From today  the new national bus pass scheme comes in to effect and Test Valley Borough Council have issued the following press release

“While current Farepass holders can continue to use their passes until the end of April, Test Valley Borough Council has already issued more than 11,000 of its anticipated 12,800 new passes, which should have arrived this week. All remaining passes are expected to be delivered before the end of the month.”
“The new pass entitles everyone to free off-peak travel on local buses anywhere in England. Off peak travel means between 9.30am and 11pm on Monday to Friday and at any time on Saturday, Sunday or on a Bank Holiday. For journeys starting in Test Valley this has been extended so that the new pass can be used at any time, although travellers should be aware that not all authorities will offer this option and it may not apply to journeys starting outside
Test Valley.”
“The new pass will continue to be valid for Cango and Dial-a-ride services, but not for journeys with community car schemes. Instead community car schemes will be eligible to apply for a grant from the Council. It will be for each car scheme to decide if they will take part in the grant scheme and how they will use any grant. For example, some groups may allow certain types of journey for free, some may offer a discount to Farepass holders or may decide on other arrangements.”

Additional funding has been made available for community car schemes after pressure from borough councillors. The funding available is calculated based on the number of pensioners in the catchment area of the car scheme. The final figure for funding in Andover is still to be agreed.

If you have any queries on the scheme please contact me.