Eligibility categories for a disabled person's bus pass

A person is eligible for a concessionary bus pass if they have a learning disability as defined by the Transport Act 2000.

You will be eligible if:

• You have a learning disability which includes significant impairment of intelligence and social functioning

This includes Down's syndrome and other learning disabilities which mean that you:

• Have difficulty in understanding new and complex information, and
• Have difficulty learning new skills, and
• May not be able to cope independently*

*Someone who cannot cope independently may be able to live on their own but may need help with some aspects, for example managing household bills.

You will not be eligible if:

• You have dyslexia, dyspraxia or attention deficit disorder - these would not qualify as 'significant impairment of intelligence and social functioning'
• Your intelligence is not impaired, even if your disability affects your social functioning
• You are applying because of mental health problems
• Your condition started after you became an adult (for example a brain injury)

Please note, you may still qualify if your condition is so severe that you would be refused a driving licence.

Proving that you are eligible

You can do this by providing information which confirms you have both of the following:

• Significant impairment of your intelligence
• Significant impairment of your social functioning

We cannot accept the following as evidence:

Information which says you have

• Learning difficulties
• A learning disability
• Asperger's syndrome
• Autistic Spectrum Disorder*

(*Please see categories A-F as you may qualify under a different category)

None of the above provides evidence that your intelligence is significantly impaired.

Guidance for concessionary travel defines learning disability in this way:

•  "A person with a learning disability has a reduced ability to understand new or complex information, a difficulty in learning new skills, and may be unable to cope independently
• These disabilities must have started before adulthood and have a lasting effect on development. The person should be able to qualify for specialist services and he or she may have had special educational provision
• The Department of Health adopted the term 'learning disability' in 1992. It has the same meaning as its predecessor 'mental handicap' but it is seen as more acceptable, particularly in reducing the confusion with mental illness"