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Guidance

How to reimburse bus operators for concessionary travel

How local authorities can calculate reimbursement to bus operators that carry concessionary passholders.

Updates to this page

From:
Department for Transport
Published:
1 November 2011
Last updated:
7 November 2025
Show all updates

  1. Reimbursing bus operators for concessionary travel, short user guide and full guidance for 2026 to 2027 added.

  2. Reimbursing bus operators for concessionary travel 2025 to 2026: short user guidance and guidance added.

  3. Reimbursing bus operators for concessionary travel 2024 to 2025: guidance and calculator methodology added.

  4. Reimbursing bus operators for concessionary travel guidance for 2024 to 2025 added.

  5. Added accessible file: Reimbursing bus operators concessionary travel: 2023-2024

  6. Published guidance on reimbursing bus operators for concessionary travel for 2022 to 2023.

  7. Published guidance on reimbursing bus operators for concessionary travel: 2021 to 2022.

  8. 2019 to 2020 claims guidance released.

  9. 2018 to 2019 guidance published.

  10. Correction of an error in the 2017 to 2018 reimbursement factor figures in table 6.2. The corrected reimbursement factors are the same as those reported in the previous year’s guidance.

  11. Reimbursing bus operators for concessionary travel 2017 to 2018.

  12. Guidance for 2016 to 2017 updated to explain how the forecast for inflation impacts upon the reimbursement factor.

  13. Guidance for 2016 to 2017 published.

  14. The guidance has been amended (see paragraph 6.14) to make the changes to table 6.1 clearer.

  15. Added guidance for 2015 to 2016 where table 6.1 has been updated using census data.

  16. 2014 to 2015 guidance added.

  17. First published.

Applies to England

Documents

Reimbursing bus operators for concessionary travel 2026 to 2027: full guidance

PDF, 1.14 MB, 106 pages

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

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Reimbursing bus operators for concessionary travel 2026 to 2027: short user guide

PDF, 296 KB, 15 pages

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Reimbursing bus operators for concessionary travel 2024 to 2025: guidance and calculator methodology

PDF, 17.2 MB, 251 pages

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Details

Guidance to help travel concession authorities calculate reimbursement to bus operators for carrying concessionary passholders under the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS).

To calculate reimbursement for the tax year 2026 to 2027, use the 2026 to 2027 guides with the:

The 2024 to 2025 guidance was updated as part of a review of the ENCTS. Details of the review and update of the guidance and calculator can be found in the 2024 to 2025 guidance and methodology report.

The calculator and guidance are also informed by Prior research into the reimbursement of concessionary fares from 2010.

Minor annual updates were made to the 2026 to 2027 guidance, including updating the years where relevant.

The National Archives has copies of previous reimbursing bus operators for concessionary travel guidance.

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