FREE BUS RIDES FOR DISABLED FACE AXE

7,000 WHO DON’T PAY FOR RING AND RIDE COULD BE CHARGED

THOUSANDS of severely disabled people in Greater Manchester could be set to lose free travel on a lifeline bus service.

Ring and Ride is used by vulnerable residents across the region for local trips to get shopping, visit relatives or attend doctors’ appointments.

But under new cash-saving plans, up to 7,000 people who currently use the vital door-to-door service for free may soon have to pay – and fares could rise for everyone.

Founded 34 years ago, Ring and Ride is for vulnerable residents who cannot use conventional public transport.

If you are a registered user you can travel to any location within six miles of your home address in Greater Manchester.

With around 17,000 registered users, the majority pay a fare while around 40 per cent ride free with a concessionaryplus pass.

These are issued to passengers who face severe difficulties such as being registered blind, profoundly deaf, having learning disabilities or longterm mental health problems, and ex-Army service personnel who have undergone amputations.

However, a cash-saving review by transport bosses states that asking the most vulnerable passengers to pay their way could save £300,000.

They also proposed that the fares should go up, from a £1.20 single fare to £1.50.

Currently, those who pay are passengers with a disabled pass or those aged over 70 with an over-60 concessionary pass.

But the new review also talks of raising the minimum age for passengers who are not disabled.

John Moorhouse, from passenger group Travelwatch NorthWest, said: “This is concerning – we wouldn’t want to see people who may have difficulty in travelling being penalised in any way. If there are savings to be made then the most vulnerable should be protected.”

Transport leaders say they are being forced to make tough decisions due to the ‘Transport Levy’ allocated to Transport for Greater Manchester being slashed by £6.67m in 2017/18 – resulting in increased fares on school buses and Local Link, as well as an Igo card price rise.

Now Ring and Ride, which costs £5.4m to run and is operated by Greater Manchester Accessible Transport Ltd with money from TfGM, is in the spotlight.

Howard Hartley, Head of Bus for Greater Manchester, said services were ‘continuously reviewed’ to be delivered in the most cost effective way.

He added: “No decisions have been made; these are proposals that will require further work to investigate and any changes will be communicated with users and the wider public well in advance of being implemented.”

He said TfGM was committed to making travel easier and supporting public transport to enhance quality of life in Greater Manchester.