Bus Passes: We're Working On It, say Vale

4.12.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 27th May 2008

Vale Leader Tony de Vere has recognised the problems a small number of older residents are still experiencing with their free bus passes. Of the 16,500 passes due to be sent out by the Council by April when the new free travel scheme began, around 700 still have to be dealt with.. Of these, 600 new applications have been made since April, so only around 100 of the original applications are outstanding.

Almost all the applications received by the Vale - over 90% - were dealt with before the scheme began - more than 15,000 residents have benefited from free bus travel across England since then.

The new bus passes come from an outside contractor - not Capita - which the Government recommended, so the Council cannot completely control the process of issuing them. However, Tony de Vere stressed that the Vale takes responsibility for the small backlog. The Council is currently processing over 100 applications a week so the number of people affected by delays is falling all the time.

Cllr de Vere said: "The few Vale residents who have not received their bus passes are right to feel frustrated. My own pass only arrived last week. I have made clear to officers that the small number of outstanding applications must be sorted out by the end of June at the very latest. The people affected by delays with their new passes can still use their old passes in the Vale and they will get their new passes by the end of June - most of them well before this deadline."