Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the viability of (a) light rail and (b) tram services of permitting those services to operate in the same concessionary fare system as buses.

The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age to ensure that no older or disabled person in England need be prevented from bus travel by cost alone.

Funding for this is provided through the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ Settlement Funding Assessment: a Grant that supports a wide range of activities to ensure that each local transport authority receives the funding that they need. This funding is not ringfenced to enable local authorities to make spending decisions that more closely align with local needs and circumstances. There are currently no further plans to directly extend the concessionary fares for buses to light rail or tram systems.

In addition, local authorities have the powers to provide further discretionary concessions in addition to ENCTS, through local resources such as Council Tax.

All Travel Concession Authorities that have light rail or tram systems in England, including Nottingham City Council, choose to fund travel on their systems as a discretionary concession.