Older bus pass holders in Cheshire West will keep paying full fare before 9.30am until at least March 2028. Warrington's ride free and Cheshire East's pay half.
Older people with a bus pass in Cheshire West and Chester will go on paying full fare for buses before 9.30am on weekdays until at least March 2028. In Warrington the same journey is free, and in Cheshire East it is half price.
The new Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority takes over responsibility for bus passes from April 2027. A report to its board recommends keeping each council’s current rules unchanged for a year, from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2028. The board meets on Monday 23 November.
What the three areas offer now
Every pass holder in England gets free travel on local buses from 9.30am to 11pm on weekdays, and all day at weekends and on bank holidays. That national scheme is the same everywhere. Councils can add extras on top, and the three councils in the combined authority do it differently.
The report sets out the extras each area gives:
| Extra concession | Cheshire West and Chester | Cheshire East | Warrington |
|---|---|---|---|
| Older people before 9.30am, Monday to Friday | Full fare | Half fare | Free |
| Disabled pass holders before 9.30am, Monday to Friday | Full fare | Half fare | Free |
| Visually impaired pass holders before 9.30am | Free | Free | Free |
| Young people | £1 fare, 16 to 19 | £1 fare, 16 to 19 | £1.50 fare, 16 to 20, on Warrington’s Own Buses only |
| Care leavers | Free, 18 to 21 | Free, 18 to 21 | Free, 18 to 21, on Warrington’s Own Buses only |
The Warrington young people’s fare is a commercial ticket sold by Warrington’s Own Buses, not a council concession, the report notes.
Free early travel for disabled pass holders from April 2027
A footnote in the report says that from April 2027, travel before 9.30am will become free for disabled concessionary pass holders. The table shows the arrangements before that change takes effect.
The report does not give the same date for older pass holders. For them, the full fare before 9.30am stays in Cheshire West and Chester for the interim year.
Why nothing changes yet
The report says a single scheme for the whole area could not be ready by April 2027. It would need new policy, consultation, financial analysis and agreement on who pays any extra cost.
Doing nothing is not an option either. Without new schemes in place, the report says, there would be no concessionary fares in Cheshire and Warrington from April 2027.
Keeping the current rules means “no groups will lose, or gain benefits compared to current arrangements”, the report says. It also leaves the decision on any longer-term change until after the mayoral election.
The combined authority would review the schemes during 2027/28. That review would look at the extras and “the potential implications of greater consistency” across the area.
The timetable in the report is:
- draft combined authority schemes published by December 2026
- final schemes published by February 2027
- interim schemes in force from April 2027
- interim period ends in March 2028
Cheshire West and Chester Council would carry on running the joint scheme that covers its own area, Warrington and Halton. Cheshire East runs its own.
What it means for you
- If you have an older person’s pass in Cheshire West and Chester, nothing changes in April 2027. Before 9.30am on a weekday you still pay the full fare. After 9.30am and at weekends, travel stays free.
- If you have a disabled person’s pass, the report says travel before 9.30am becomes free from April 2027.
- If you have a visually impaired pass, travel before 9.30am stays free.
- If you are 16 to 19, the £1 fare stays. Care leavers aged 18 to 21 keep free travel.
- Anyone who wants a say on matching Warrington’s free early travel will need to wait for the 2027/28 review. Questions to the board on 23 November had to be submitted by 5pm on Monday 16 November, the agenda says.
The board meets at 10.30am on Monday 23 November at Tatton House, Westmere Drive, Crewe. The meeting is webcast.
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