The Travel Concessions (Extension of Entitlement) (England) Order 2005

Statutory Instruments

2005 No. 3224

PUBLIC PASSENGER TRANSPORT, ENGLAND

The Travel Concessions (Extension of Entitlement) (England) Order 2005

Made

22nd November 2005

Laid before Parliament

28th November 2005

Coming into force

All provisions other than article 3

30th December 2005

Article 3

1st April 2006

The Secretary of State for Transport makes the following Order in exercise of the powers conferred upon the Secretary of State by section 242(10) of the Greater London Authority Act 1999(1) and by section 147 and section 160(1)(c) of the Transport Act 2000(2):

Citation and commencement

1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the Travel Concessions (Extension of Entitlement) (England) Order 2005.

(2) This article and article 2 shall come into force on 30th December 2005.

(3) Article 3 shall come into force on 1st April 2006.

Amendment of the Greater London Authority Act 1999

2.—(1) The Greater London Authority Act 1999 is amended as follows.

(2) In section 242 (reserve free travel scheme for London residents: requirements as to scope)—

(a) in subsection (8), for “half-price concession” substitute “waiver of the fare”, and

(b) omit subsection (9).

Amendment of the Transport Act 2000

3.—(1) The Transport Act 2000 is amended as follows.

(2) In section 145 (mandatory concessions outside Greater London), in subsection (1), for “be provided with a half-price travel concession” substitute “a concession consisting of a waiver of the fare for the journey”.

(3) In section 146 (mandatory concessions: supplementary), omit the definition of “a half-price travel concession”.

(4) In section 162 (interpretation of Part 2), in subsection (1), omit the definition of “half-price travel concession”.

(5) The amendments made by this article have effect as respects England only.

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State

Karen Buck

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State,

Department for Transport

22nd November 2005

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order amends sections 145, 146 and 162 of the Transport Act 2000 so that, outside Greater London, persons to whom a statutory travel concession permit has been issued by a travel concession authority are entitled to be provided with free bus travel between places in the authority’s area.

This Order also amends sections 242(8) of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 so that if, immediately before 1st January in a financial year, arrangements are not in place whereby London residents who are disabled or 60 years of age or over are eligible to have free bus travel, a “free travel scheme” shall have effect from 1st April in the next following financial year under section 241 of that Act.

A full regulatory impact assessment of the effect that this instrument will have on the costs of business is available from the DVO Policy Unit of the Department for Transport, Zone 5/20, Southside, 105 Victoria Street, London SW1P 4DR. The regulatory impact assessment may also be accessed at the Office of Public Sector Information website at www.opsi.gov.uk.

(1)

1999 c. 29; section 242 was amended by the Transport Act 2000, section 151.

(2)

2000 c. 38.