ENCTS & cross border validity into & out of Wales

[1955LR]

Yesterday I used my Senior Bus pass ( Issued by Herefordshire Council) to travel from Wales into England , ie Knighton to Kington . The driver asked to have a second look at my pass to verify it was issued by Herefordshire Council as any other was not valid for the Journey. . Looking at the Herefordshire Council web site it confirms that it is valid in all of England and cross border to/from Wales from/to Herefordshire . I thought a English pass was valid to travel into and out of Wales as long as it was a single journey , but not confined to the English issuing authority area . Looking at the Welsh Assembly site the Wales pass is valid on single cross border journeys to/from any adjacent English County. Is Herefordshire Council correct to restrict validity to & from Herefordshire only, and do other English authorities have similar restrictions ?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Yesterday I used my Senior Bus pass ( Issued by Herefordshire Council) to travel from Wales into England , ie Knighton to Kington . The driver asked to have a second look at my pass to verify it was issued by Herefordshire Council as any other was not valid for the Journey. . Looking at the Herefordshire Council web site it confirms that it is valid in all of England and cross border to/from Wales from/to Herefordshire . I thought a English pass was valid to travel into and out of Wales as long as it was a single journey , but not confined to the English issuing authority area . Looking at the Welsh Assembly site the Wales pass is valid on single cross border journeys to/from any adjacent English County. Is Herefordshire Council correct to restrict validity to & from Herefordshire only, and do other English authorities have similar restrictions ?

From the Cheshire West website

Where and when you can travel​

Bus pass holders are eligible for free travel on journeys in Cheshire West and Chester, Halton and Warrington during the following times:

• Monday - Friday, 9:30am and the last bus.
• At all times, on a Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays.

Free travel also applies on bus services going into Wales. Providing the journey starts or ends in Cheshire West and Chester.

And Gloucestershire

• Your concessionary bus pass is valid on participating bus operators' services from 9.30am to 11pm on weekdays and at any time at weekends and bank holidays for journeys within England. You may also use your pass for travel between any bus stop in Gloucestershire and Monmouth or Chepstow

 

[cav1975]

My bus pass, issued by Medway, is only valid in England and not one centimetre into Wales or Scotland. It does work from 0900 for journeys starting in Medway. Although not very well publicised, there is a local arrangement for Kent, Thurrock & Medway pass holders to use it at any time of day on the Gravesend - Tilbury ferry. Holders of other English ENCTS passes can travel at Child fare in the morning peak and free after 0930 M-F & at weekends.

Passes can be used from 9am Monday to Friday within Medway as an extension to the usual 09:30 start.

From the Medway website: -

Concessionary bus passes give you free bus travel in:

• Medway on services provided by Arriva, ASD, Chalkwell, Farleigh Coaches, Nu-Venture and Redroute buses
• Kent and the rest of England from 9.30am to 11pm Monday to Friday and any time weekends and bank holidays.

I guess that each English local authority can add extra concessions for their residents.

 

[1955LR]

I have just had a look at other authorities on the Welsh border and it does appear that each English Authority can make its own arrangements about granting cross border access. It does seem anomalous that England to Wales validity is more restrictive than the other way , but I suspect its all down to budgets , devolution and funding arrangements with the various bus companies

 

[lachlan]

I'm in Bristol and have personally used the T7 bus to Wales with a bus pass. The wording on the council website ("on local buses starting anywhere else in England") would suggest you can use other cross border services when leaving England but not for returning. But I'm not sure if that's correct or not.

 

[markymark2000]

I do believe that the validity of English passes into Wales is a 'local enhancement' from the councils. They can choose whether to fund travel into Wales and if they do decide that this is something that they wish to do, often it will be only for local pass holders, not everyone.

In a similar way to Merseyside passes have free travel on travel on all Merseyrail services but anyone from other authorities can only use the bus. London is the same, Freedom pass holders can use the tube and London trains, if your pass is issued by anyone else, its buses only.

I have just had a look at other authorities on the Welsh border and it does appear that each English Authority can make its own arrangements about granting cross border access. It does seem anomalous that England to Wales validity is more restrictive than the other way , but I suspect its all down to budgets , devolution and funding arrangements with the various bus companies

I'd say probably more due to the fact that Wales bus passes are issued centrally by Transport for Wales, not the local councils. There isn't any identifying information on the pass about where the person lives (as far as I know) so you would struggle to say 'only Flintshire people can travel into Cheshire West' because there is no way of proving if someone came from Flintshire or Anglesey.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I'm in Bristol and have personally used the T7 bus to Wales with a bus pass. The wording on the council website ("on local buses starting anywhere else in England") would suggest you can use other cross border services when leaving England but not for returning. But I'm not sure if that's correct or not.

The Bristol City Council website states it is valid:

• on Service T7 to travel from England to Wales or from Wales to England, but not to travel from one Welsh stop to another Welsh stop on the Service T7 or any other service in Wales

 

[geoffk]

I'm in Bristol and have personally used the T7 bus to Wales with a bus pass. The wording on the council website ("on local buses starting anywhere else in England") would suggest you can use other cross border services when leaving England but not for returning. But I'm not sure if that's correct or not.

I see T7 is Bristol - Chepstow (which I remember as 300!). Is there no longer a bus service to Newport and Cardiff? A long time since I lived in Bristol.

 

[markymark2000]

I see T7 is Bristol - Chepstow (which I remember as 300!). Is there no longer a bus service to Newport and Cardiff? A long time since I lived in Bristol.

Not sure about Cardiff but the Newport part got cut when Traws Cymru took over since there are commercial alternatives available between Chepstow and Newport.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I see T7 is Bristol - Chepstow (which I remember as 300!). Is there no longer a bus service to Newport and Cardiff? A long time since I lived in Bristol.

It was Bristol to Newport for a few years in Badgerline and Stagecoach days. However, the removal of Severn Bridge tolls meant it wasn't viable so they deregistered it. Stagecoach took it on commercially but it was already under threat when Covid lockdowns came so they axed it.

It was left to the Welsh Govt to scrape some cash together and provide a partial replacement, initially operated by Adventure Travel and by Newport Bus since Jan 2021. It's left to coach or train to link Bristol to Newport/Cardiff

 

[Mwanesh]

Not too sure what the arrangement is now. When I used to do the X4 Cardiff to Hereford we used to accept English passes for journeys into Cardiff and vice versa. I will check with an X3 driver next time I pop into Cwmbran.

 

[markymark2000]

Not too sure what the arrangement is now. When I used to do the X4 Cardiff to Hereford we used to accept English passes for journeys into Cardiff and vice versa. I will check with an X3 driver next time I pop into Cwmbran.

That would fit under Herefordshire Councils 'Passes valid as long as the journey starts or finishes in Herefordshire'.

Technically though, it shouldn't be valid as it's all separate services. On the T4, they should have gotten to Brecon.

 

[neilmc]

Just looking at what Cumbria County Council say on their website:

*Other eligible persons who do not have a NoWcard issued by Cumbria County Council in this Scheme (i.e. holder of an English National Concessionary bus pass issued by another authority or a London Councils’ Freedom pass with English National Concessionary details) will also be eligible for those concessions as set out in Schedule 2.*

and

*The Scheme will apply to all eligible journeys starting within the administrative areas of Cumbria County Council and to journeys to and from the following in Scotland; Gretna on routes 79, 179 and 382, Canonbie on route X95 and Under Burnmouth (for Kershopfeoot) on route 127A.*

I can't see that this concession is restricted to Cumbria residents although the website might just not have considered this.

There again I just found this gem online:

"Can I use my Isle of Wight bus pass on the mainland?"


Answer: "Unfortunately not. You can only use this bus pass in England."