Restrictions on when passengers can use Stoke-on-Trent council issued disabled bus passes are to be lifted as part of a new pilot to encourage people to use the bus network.

Currently disabled bus pass holders cannot travel for free before 9:30am on weekdays but starting on 1 September this restriction will be removed.

It comes after the city council made an agreement with Arriva, D&G, First, Scraggs and Stantons of Stoke and it will be piloted until 31 March 2026.

National figures published by campaign group Transport for All earlier this month found 37% of those surveyed thought not being able to travel before 9:30am was a barrier to using their disabled bus pass and nearly a quarter didn't know it existed.

Cat Whitehouse, co-CEO at Transport for All said: "We're delighted that Stoke-on-Trent City Council is unlocking transport access for disabled people, so that we can travel to work, school, and appointments.

"We are disabled 24 hours a day - we don't start at 9:30 and end at 11, and neither should our bus pass.

"Disabled people across the country are joining our new campaign to make disabled bus passes valid all the time, so that everyone can make the journeys that we want to, wherever we live."

The city council is currently part of the government-funded English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) which allows free travel after 9.30am on weekdays for residents eligible for a disabled or elderly bus pass. But concessionary passenger numbers in the city are currently below pre-pandemic levels.

The new agreement aims to make it easier for disabled passengers to get to work or education and both disabled and elderly passengers will still be able to travel for free all day at weekends and on Bank Holidays.

Those with disabled bus passes issued by Staffordshire County Council already receive free bus travel before 9:30am.

Cllr Finlay Gordon-McCusker, cabinet member for transport, infrastructure and regeneration at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: "We are committed to making it as easy and affordable as possible for residents to travel around the city.

"We have already made a number of significant improvements to our local bus network and I am delighted that we are able to partner with bus operators once again on this initiative.

"This scheme will now allow us to offer free early morning travel to those entitled to a disabled travel pass, helping them to access employment and education without extra personal costs.

"This scheme will run for a trial period until March next year. We will be monitoring uptake to understand demand and how it can be extended.

"At the moment, concessionary bus passenger numbers are still way below what they were before the Covid pandemic, so we hope that this scheme will encourage more people who are entitled to free travel to consider using the bus as a way to travel around the city."