Archived press release

Date Published: 11/10/06

Councillors have approved a range of improvements to Aylesbury Vale District Council’s concessionary travel scheme. At Tuesday’s cabinet meeting, councillors voted to slash the charge for travel tokens and increase the amount of token...

Councillors have approved a range of improvements to Aylesbury Vale District Council’s concessionary travel scheme.

At Tuesday’s cabinet meeting, councillors voted to slash the charge for travel tokens and increase the amount of tokens offered to people who are unable to use buses because of frailty or disability, or who live in a parish where there are few or no bus services.

Changes approved by the cabinet that will come into effect from April 2007 include:
• Doubling the amount of travel tokens offered from £30 to £60 for a full year and from £15 to £30 for half a year
• Reducing the charge for travel tokens to £5 per full year (£2.50 per half year) for all eligible applicants, not just those on certain benefits
• Issuing a rail card at a cost of £2 with the travel tokens where needed for those people living within the rail corridor
• Annually reviewing the parishes or parish areas eligible for travel tokens where there are few or no bus services
• Introducing a photocard for travel token users which must be produced upon use of the tokens

Currently, travel tokens can only be used for taxi fares in Hackney Carriages, private hire vehicles and dial-a-ride services. The scheme is not intended for long journeys or excursions and the maximum cost of any one-way journey paid in full or in part is £10. Tokens can be used for journeys that either start or finish in Aylesbury Vale.

At the present time, people who are unable to use bus or taxi services are offered a rail card instead of travel tokens. The £2 rail card permits the holder to a one-third discount on rail travel within a 20 mile radius of Aylesbury. From next April, residents eligible for the scheme who live within the rail corridor will be offered both travel tokens and a rail card to help them with their journeys.  

The decision to improve the concessionary travel set-up follows an appraisal of the scheme by a review group led by Councillor Pam Pearce, Cabinet Member for Community Matters at AVDC. The group looked at a range of concessionary travel schemes provided by councils across the country and previous consultations with users before putting forward their recommendations to the cabinet.

Councillor Pam Pearce said: “We are delighted to announce these improvements to our concessionary travel scheme. We have listened very carefully to the different views we have received about travel tokens and what our customers’ needs are.  By targeting the most vulnerable people in the community we hope to make a real difference where it is most needed. We know that the changes to the scheme will be welcomed by local residents and make our concessionary travel service one of the best in the country.”