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What’s the issue?
The disabled person’s bus pass provides free off-peak travel on local busses in England for some people with disabilities. If you are not allowed to drive because of your epilepsy you are eligible for a disabled person’s bus pass. The scheme is run by local councils.
Epilepsy Action have heard from people around the country who have had problems applying for a disabled person’s bus pass. Different councils ask for different evidence.
Some ask for you to apply to the Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) for a licence. They ask to see the letter of refusal as evidence you can’t drive. Local councils who ask for this are not following government guidelines.
By doing this they are wasting time and money.
We want people to know their rights. People with epilepsy who are not able to drive should receive a disabled person’s bus pass quickly and fairly.
What are we doing?
The Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and the Department for Transport have both told us that
“people with epilepsy who are not able to drive do not need to be refused for a driving licence before they are entitled to a disabled person’s bus pass.”
Epilepsy Action members have been raising their concerns with local councillors and MP’s.
We have put together a toolkit for people with epilepsy that can help you do this. It explains your rights and how you can get involved with the campaign.
How you can get involved
There are lots of ways that you can get involved with this campaign.
#GetOnBoard
Our guide to #GetOnBoard will help you challenge local councils that ask for a driving license refusal letter. It includes information on how to get in touch with your councillor or MP.
The guide has examples of what you can say to help your councillor or MP understand the issue better. It gives ideas for what you can do to make your local authority change the way they give people with epilepsy passes.
Tell us your story
Talk about it on social media.
The best ways to get more people to hear about an issue is to get a lot of people talking about it.
Positive stories
We want to know which local councils are doing it right, and which ones are doing it wrong. You can email and tell us your experience at campaigns@epilepsy.org.uk