Care leavers in Staffordshire can now travel free on any bus in the county at any hour, for 12 months. Here is who else travels free, and what changes in 2027.

Young people leaving care in Staffordshire can now travel free on any bus in the county, at any time of day. Staffordshire County Council launched the Care Leavers Bus Pass on 25 August and says every care leaver will be told about it during this month. (Staffordshire County Council, 25 August 2026)

The terms the council has published are short:

  • The pass is free to any care leaver in Staffordshire.
  • It gives unlimited travel on any bus in the county, at any time of day.
  • Each pass lasts 12 months.
  • Journeys must start in Staffordshire.
  • The scheme will be reviewed next year.

There is no application form in the announcement. The council says care leavers “will all be informed of the scheme from this month”, so the route in is the leaving care service rather than the online bus pass form used for older and disabled passes.

Owen Aulton, a 21-year-old Staffordshire care leaver who has just been taken on for a youth work apprenticeship with the county council, said the pass would help with day to day living. “Whilst I’m currently able to walk to work, I have friends and family across the county so using the bus for free at any time will mean I can get to them easily,” he said.

Andrew Mynors, the county council’s cabinet member for connectivity, said the pass could “make a huge difference to our care leavers by ensuring they can easily get to a place of work, education, training or leisure”.

What it is worth

A single bus fare in England is capped at £3 on participating services until the end of 2026. The Prime Minister has said the cap will fall to £2 from 1 January 2027. (GOV.UK)

So a care leaver making one return trip a day is avoiding up to £6 a day this year, and up to £4 a day from January. Participation in the cap is voluntary and some operators and route types are excluded, so an uncapped fare can be higher.

The pass sits alongside two other county schemes for care leavers. The Care Leavers into Employment programme has supported almost 120 young people into education, employment or training. The council’s waste and recycling team runs a Care Leavers Hub, which provides good quality used furniture and household items to young people setting up a first home.

Who else travels free on Staffordshire buses

The care leavers pass is the third free-travel route in the county, and the rules differ for each.

When each Staffordshire bus pass can be used

  • Older person’s pass. Free travel on local buses in England between 9.30am and 11pm Monday to Friday, and all day on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays.
  • Disabled person’s pass. Any time of day for journeys that start in Staffordshire. For trips starting outside the county, the 9.30am to 11pm weekday limits apply.
  • Care leavers pass. Any time of day, on any bus in Staffordshire, for 12 months.

None of the three works on trains or trams. (Staffordshire County Council, bus pass FAQs)

The all-day disabled pass is a Staffordshire decision, not the national rule. On 18 August the government said it would remove the time restriction across England from April 2027, backed by £60 million. (GOV.UK, 18 August 2026) The county council responded that its residents already have it. (Staffordshire County Council, 18 August 2026)

The age for an older person’s pass is rising

If you are approaching pension age in Stafford, the qualifying date has moved. The county council’s own page says the age for an older person’s bus pass in England started rising in April 2026 in line with the state pension age. It is 66 now and will reach 67 by April 2028, with people born between 6 April 1960 and 5 March 1961 seeing their eligibility move back in monthly steps. (Staffordshire County Council)

What it means for you

If you are a care leaver in Staffordshire, you do not need to chase the pass. The council says it is contacting every care leaver this month. If nothing arrives, your personal adviser in the leaving care service is the person to ask, and the pass runs for 12 months from issue rather than to a fixed end date.

If you are applying for an older or disabled pass in Stafford, you can do it online, by phoning customer services on 0300 111 8000, or in person at a county council managed library. Stafford Library on Tipping Street is one of them. You will need proof of identity, proof of Staffordshire residency less than three months old, and proof of disability where that applies. A replacement for a lost or damaged pass costs £10; a stolen one is replaced free once you have a police crime number.

If you have a disabled pass and travel out of the county, remember the boundary rule. Free travel at any hour only applies to journeys that start in Staffordshire, so a bus boarded in Telford, Wolverhampton or Birmingham before 9.30am on a weekday is not covered.

For journeys that are not by bus, our guide to Stafford train times to London sets out the direct services and typical times, and parking in Stafford covers the car parks and tariffs. Roadworks and diversions that affect bus routes are tracked on our Stafford roadworks and travel page.

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