Help with transport costs for people on low incomes

Transport is the cost that decides whether you can take a job, attend a hospital appointment, sign on at the Jobcentre or get your children to school. For many people on a low income there is no car, so buses, trains, bikes and walking are the only way to keep life running, and fares can rise faster than benefits or wages. When a monthly pass costs more than the weekly food shop, the lack of affordable travel can quietly trap a household.

The good news is that the UK has a wide range of concessionary passes, discounts, job-related funds and health travel refunds, many of which go unclaimed. This page brings them together. If you rely on a car, our separate guide to help with fuel costs covers petrol and diesel.

Free and discounted bus travel

• Older people: in England, free off-peak local bus travel from State Pension age. In Scotland and Wales free bus travel starts at 60, and Northern Ireland has its own SmartPass scheme.
• Disabled people: a disabled person's bus pass is available across the UK if you meet the criteria, sometimes with a companion pass. Apply through your council, or Transport NI in Northern Ireland.
• Young people in Scotland: under-22s can travel free on most local buses with a National Entitlement Card.
• Fare caps: England has a national cap on single bus fares on many routes, and several city regions run lower caps of their own. Check the current level with your local operator.
• Local schemes: some councils and combined authorities offer reduced fares for jobseekers, care leavers, apprentices or people on Universal Credit.

Weekly or monthly tickets, daily caps on contactless payment and operator apps often cost much less than buying single tickets, so check before you travel.

Railcards and jobseeker discounts

A railcard costs a fixed amount per year and usually saves a third on many fares, so it often pays for itself after a few journeys. Options include the 16-25, 26-30, Senior, Family & Friends, Two Together and Disabled Persons Railcards. If you claim Universal Credit or Jobseeker's Allowance and are looking for work, ask your work coach about the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card, which gives a discount on some rail fares.

If you travel two or three days a week, compare flexi season tickets with daily returns. Buying in advance, travelling off-peak and splitting a journey into separate tickets can lower the price further on some routes.

Help with travel for work, interviews and training

Your work coach can sometimes pay for travel through the Flexible Support Fund, for example to attend an interview or to cover fares for the first weeks of a new job until your first pay day. Awards are discretionary, so ask before you travel and keep your tickets.

• Access to Work can contribute to taxis or adapted transport if a disability or health condition stops you using public transport to get to work. It does not need to be repaid.
• Wheels to Work schemes in some rural areas lend scooters, mopeds or electric bikes at low cost to people who cannot reach work by public transport.
• Employer schemes such as interest-free season ticket loans recovered from salary, and cycle-to-work schemes. Check that salary sacrifice does not reduce your pay below what you need.

Before giving up on a job because of travel, ask the employer whether shift times can change, whether a colleague lives nearby for lift-sharing, or whether some work can be done from home. A work coach can sometimes help negotiate.

Hospital trips and medical appointments

In England, the NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme refunds reasonable travel costs to hospital and other NHS treatment after a referral, if you receive a qualifying benefit or hold an NHS low income certificate. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run similar schemes. Ask at the hospital cashier or the patient advice service, and bring your ticket and proof of benefit. Non-emergency patient transport is available when your medical condition requires it. Our page on help with medical costs covers these schemes alongside other health expenses.

Children, students and young people

Councils must provide free home-to-school transport to eligible children, for example when the school is beyond the statutory walking distance, with wider eligibility for low-income families and children with special educational needs. Sixth formers and college students in England can apply to the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund for travel costs, and many councils publish a post-16 transport policy with discounted passes. University students should check their institution's hardship fund.

Disabled people and drivers

If you receive the higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance or the enhanced rate mobility component of Personal Independence Payment, you can use the Motability Scheme to lease a car, scooter or powered wheelchair, with insurance, servicing and breakdown cover included; similar mobility payments in Scotland can also be used. A Blue Badge from your council allows parking closer to where you need to go, and some councils give exemptions or discounts on tolls and congestion charges for badge holders.

Bikes, walking and community transport

• Bike recycling charities refurbish donated bikes and give or sell them cheaply to people on benefits; some run free repair sessions. Ask your council, Jobcentre or a local cycling charity.
• Free cycle training is available through Bikeability for children and, in many areas, adults.
• Community transport groups run dial-a-ride minibuses, volunteer car schemes and shopping buses for older, disabled or isolated people, often for a small fee.
• Car clubs can cost less than owning a car if you only drive occasionally.

When borrowing seems the only way

Some people are tempted to put an annual season ticket on a credit card or a buy now, pay later plan. An annual ticket can save money, but only if the repayments are affordable and you are sure the journey will stay the same. Buying a car on high-cost finance to reach a job can leave you with repayments that outlast the job.

Look first at an employer season ticket loan, a Budgeting Advance if you receive Universal Credit, or a credit union loan, which in Great Britain is capped at 42.6% APR. Our overview of small loans for households on a tight budget explains how to compare the APR and the total repayable. Avoid high-cost short-term loans for regular travel: the cost repeats every month.

Watch out for scams

• Fake "discount travel card" websites that charge for passes the council gives for free.
• Second-hand or social media ticket sellers whose tickets turn out to be invalid or cancelled.
• Cloned car listings asking for a deposit before viewing.
• Loan offers that demand an upfront fee, or lenders not listed on the FCA register.

Checklist: cutting your travel costs

• List your regular journeys and what you pay each week.
• Check whether you qualify for a free or discounted bus pass.
• Compare weekly tickets, contactless caps and railcards, or ask about the Travel Discount Card.
• Ask your work coach about the Flexible Support Fund before an interview or a job start.
• Keep receipts for hospital trips and claim Healthcare Travel Costs.
• Apply for school transport if your child's journey is long.
• Explore Access to Work, Motability or a Blue Badge if you are disabled.
• Ask Citizens Advice for a benefits check, which may reveal entitlements such as the mobility part of Personal Independence Payment.

For a wider view of support in Britain, read our guide to loans and social support in the UK.