Libs Dems welcome decision over ‘unfair’ bus restrictions
The East Riding Liberal Democrats group has welcomed a decision by Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority Mayor Luke Campbell to end ‘unfair’ bus travel restrictions across the region.
Mr Campbell has backed plans to end the “postcode lottery” and standardise pass access with Hull from April 1 next year.
The move follows a major national win secured by campaigners who had been lobbying Government into universally scrapping the morning 9:30am peak-time restriction for disabled bus pass holders across England.
While authorities such as Hull City Council and North Lincolnshire chose to scrap morning restrictions entirely, East Riding pensioners had remained barred from free early-morning travel simply because of where they live.
The East Riding Liberal Democrats have championed this issue for many years, repeatedly pushing for fair and equal transport access for older residents.
As part of a long-standing campaign, the group previously brought a formal motion before the East Riding of Yorkshire Council to remove the peak-time restrictions.
Despite strong community backing, the proposal was defeated on cost grounds, leaving East Riding pensioners subject to morning travel charges while nearby neighbours in Hull enjoyed all-day free travel.
Cllr Denis Healy, Leader of the ERYC Liberal Democrat Group, warmly welcomed the mayor’s commitment to align rules across both council areas using devolved regional transport powers:
He said: “Our national campaign proved that arbitrary travel cutoffs cause genuine harm to vulnerable residents who depend on public transport. Removing time restrictions for disabled pass holders across England was a massive step forward, but we cannot leave older residents behind in a fractured system.
“I wholeheartedly welcome Mayor Campbell’s support for this campaign. It is something we have consistently encouraged and fought for over many years, and seeing this move forward demonstrates true, tangible outcomes from the Mayor’s time in office. It brings us so much closer to delivering real fairness and accessibility for every pensioner in the East Riding.”