From 1 April 2027 a Wokingham disabled bus pass works before 9.30am anywhere in England, not only on buses boarded in the borough. Senior passes do not change.

If you hold a Wokingham disabled bus pass, you can already board a bus anywhere in the borough at any hour of the day. Step over the border and you cannot. Board somewhere else in England before 9.30am on a weekday and the pass does not cover you.

That is the bit that changes on 1 April 2027.

The government said on Tuesday 18 August that it will lift the time restriction on disabled bus passes across England. Wokingham Borough Council removed the restriction locally in December 2024, so the national change closes the gap for journeys that start outside the borough rather than inside it.

What each pass allows, and what actually changes

The council sets out the current rules on its own pages. A disabled person’s pass is valid on buses boarded within Wokingham Borough at any time. Elsewhere in England it works from 9.30am to 11pm Monday to Friday, and all day at weekends and on bank holidays. The council adds a caveat to that: check the local area before you travel, because other authorities fund their own extensions for their own residents.

A senior pass is different again. It works on buses boarded in the borough from 9am, half an hour earlier than the national rule, and from 9.30am elsewhere in England.

When a Wokingham bus pass works now and from April 2027

The announcement covers disabled passes only. Senior pass holders keep the 9.30am rule outside the borough, and the 9am rule inside it.

The borough went first, and the applications followed

Wokingham removed all time restrictions on disabled and disabled-plus-companion passes in December 2024, after feedback gathered through what the council calls its Social Care Future approach.

The council now says average monthly applications for those passes have risen 21 per cent compared with 2024. It also points to separate analysis carried out for Whizz Kidz, the charity for young wheelchair users. That found a 16 per cent increase in trips between October 2024 and October 2025. One journey in ten took place before 9am.

In December 2025 the borough’s experience was put to a Westminster event, “Beyond Fare: Equality through Concessionary Bus Travel”, at Portcullis House, hosted by Tom Gordon MP for Whizz Kidz. Callum, a Wokingham Borough resident and a travel champion on the council’s Social Care Future core group, spoke there alongside Andy Burnham, then Mayor of Greater Manchester.

Callum told the council: “It’s made it easier for me to get around and it means I can be more independent. It should be a national offer. Let’s not put disabled people on separate buses or only let them travel at different times of the day, this is stigmatising.”

What the government has committed

The Department for Transport announcement puts £60 million behind the change. That comes from existing budgets: £40 million from the Department for Work and Pensions and £20 million from the Department for Transport.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the change was “putting an end to this postcode lottery, so disabled people can travel on buses for free whenever they need, wherever they live”.

Eligibility is not changing. It is set by the Transport Act 2000, which defines seven statutory categories of disability, and councils remain responsible for assessing applications against them.

One thing the announcement does not mention is companion passes. Wokingham issues those at its own discretion and limits them to journeys starting in the borough, and it warns that a companion travelling outside the borough may have to pay their own fare. Nothing published so far changes that.

What it means for you

  • If you hold a Wokingham disabled pass and travel only within the borough, nothing changes. You already board at any time.
  • If you board a bus outside the borough before 9.30am on a weekday, that is the journey the April 2027 change covers.
  • If you hold a senior pass, this does not apply to you. The 9am rule inside the borough and the 9.30am rule outside it both stand.
  • If you have a companion pass, the borough’s restriction to journeys starting in Wokingham Borough has not been lifted. Ask before you rely on it for a trip that starts elsewhere.
  • If you do not have a pass yet, the council lists automatic eligibility for people on the higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance, those scoring at least 8 points on the moving around or communicating verbally parts of Personal Independence Payment, recipients of War Pensioner’s Mobility Supplement, and holders of a Blue Badge issued by the borough. Discretionary routes need a form signed by a medical professional, who may charge you.
  • Practical detail worth knowing: renewals are accepted from 30 days before a pass expires, a pass issued by another council cannot be renewed here and needs a fresh application, and a replacement card costs £14.50. To add a companion to an existing pass, email concessionarytravel@wokingham.gov.uk.
  • If you use the park and ride, pass holders can board at Winnersh Triangle and Mereoak at any time, but you may still need a parking ticket from the driver. We set out those charges on our parking in Wokingham page.

Sources