Friday, 28 March 2008

New Travelcards - not just for buses!

The new National Travelcard is proving very popular - around 44,000 South Gloucestershire residents have already applied for their new cards, which will give them their free travel on local and national bus services. That's over 5,000 more than last year.

The new cards will replace the existing Diamond Travelcard from next Monday (March 31st).

Any resident aged 60 or over and most people who are registered disabled can apply for the new passes.

Our local scheme is even better than the government version. Within the Greater Bristol area - Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol City, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire - the pass will allow free travel from 9am on weekdays and at any time on weekends and Bank Holidays. (The national scheme is 9.30 am to 11.00 pm, but here you can even use the weekend night buses)

South Gloucestershire residents can also benefit from additional services with their National Travelcard, including:

  • Dial-a-ride on community transport schemes like Yate & District Community Transport, providing door to door transport services
  • Voluntary car schemes
  • Shopmobility - you can hire mobility scooters for shopping free of charge in Yate, Thornbury and Staple Hill
  • Cheaper national annual railcards are available which allow for one third off standard rail prices
  • Some long distance coach operators will give cardholders a discount, though you'll have to ask when you book
For more details on the scheme and the additional benefits visit the South Glos Council concessionary travel web page - you can also download an application form. You can also get application forms from libraries, one-stop shops, all council offices and some post offices, or you can ring South Glos on 01454 868004.

People who have Diamond Cards already do not need to reapply - they should get their new cards automatically - unless they've moved house in the last year. If you have applied for a card but have not received it by early April, please contact South Glos on 01454 868004.

Posted by Paul Hulbert at 5:33 pm

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1 comment:

  1. Anonymous11:00 pm

    Hey thanks for the great blog, love this stuff. I don’t usually do much for Earth Day but with everyone going green these days I thought I try to do my part.

    I am trying to find easy, simple things I can do to help stop global warming (I stress easy, I don’t plan on going out and buying a hybrid). I took the Earth Day Challenge that EarthLab.com is promoting ( http://www.earthlab.com/ ) and I am planning on lowering my score. They have some pretty good tips (they call them pledges).

    I am looking for more easy fun stuff to do. If you know of any other sites worth my time let me know.

    ReplyDelete

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