East Riding bus pass holders will travel free before 9.30am on weekdays from 1 April 2027, matching Hull. What changes, who pays and what is still unknown.

Older and disabled bus pass holders in the East Riding will be able to travel free before 9.30am on weekdays from 1 April 2027. It ends a long-running gap with Hull, where pass holders can already ride free at any time of day.

The Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority (HEYCA) approved the change at its Executive Board on Friday 25 September. Its formal notice of decisions says the board agreed to “the alignment of concessionary travel operating hours across Hull and East Yorkshire from 1st April 2027”. (HEYCA notice of decisions, 25 September 2026)

HEYCA will pay for it, not East Riding of Yorkshire Council. Hull keeps the all-day offer it already funds. (HEYCA, 25 September 2026)

How your pass works now, and from April 2027

The national bus pass scheme only guarantees free travel from 9.30am on weekdays. Councils can pay for extra hours if they choose. Hull does. The East Riding has not.

When you travel East Riding pass now From 1 April 2027
Weekdays, 9.30am to 11pm Free Free
Weekdays, before 9.30am You pay the fare Free
Weekdays, after 11pm You pay the fare Free
Weekends and bank holidays Free all day Free all day

The current East Riding hours come from the council’s national bus pass page. HEYCA says pass holders will be able to travel free “at any time of day” across Hull and East Yorkshire from April. It has not yet published the detailed rules.

One group already has early travel. Holders of the council’s own local disabled person’s pass can use it on local buses before 9.30am and after 11pm on weekdays. The change matters most for older people on the standard national pass.

Why it took until 2027

East Riding pensioners have long asked why someone a few miles away in Hull could use a pass earlier. Councillor Carolyn Cantrell of East Riding of Yorkshire Council put that question to the board on 2 September. She asked whether temporary passes for early hospital trips could be offered in the meantime.

Councillor David Tucker replied that the issue would come to the next meeting and that “HEYCA plan to introduce measures from April 2027”. No interim passes were promised. (HEYCA Executive Board minutes, 2 September 2026, in the 25 September agenda pack)

HEYCA says the two councils joined the combined authority with different rules. Officers then had to work through:

  • the cost
  • where the money would come from
  • how bus operators are paid back
  • the practical changes to the scheme

Mayor Luke Campbell said: “If you’ve got an early hospital appointment, you’re caring for somebody or you just need to get out and get on with your day, a council boundary shouldn’t be getting in the way.”

Simon Himsworth, chief executive of Age UK Hull and East Yorkshire, welcomed it. He said it “brings pensioners living in East Riding, perhaps travelling to medical appointments in Hull and surrounding areas, onto a level playing field with those in Hull”.

What we do not know yet

The cost. The concessionary fares report was taken in private. The agenda lists it after a vote to exclude press and public, on the grounds that it concerns the financial or business affairs of particular people. No figure has been published.

Where the money comes from after year one. The board agreed to find “a recurrent source of annual funding” as part of its 2027/28 to 2030/31 budget planning. That source has not been named.

Whether it lasts. The decision says the scheme will be reviewed every year. The review will look at passenger numbers, costs, affordability, how it is working and changes to national policy. The mayor can also bring forward an earlier review if costs or funding shift sharply.

Other fare changes. Wider concessionary fares harmonisation, such as other differences between the Hull and East Riding schemes, will be “considered separately following further analysis and consultation”.

What it means for you

  • Nothing changes yet. Until 1 April 2027, a standard pass is still only free from 9.30am on weekdays in the East Riding. Before then you pay the fare.
  • You will not need a new pass as far as anything published so far says. HEYCA says “clear information will be published for pass holders” before the start date, including how the hours will work in practice.
  • If you need a pass, you apply through the council. People of state pension age, and some disabled people, qualify. Details are on the council’s bus pass page, or call (01482) 393939.
  • If you cannot use buses alone, you can ask for the companion entitlement, a “plus C” on your pass, so someone travels with you free.

For other travel news, including current closures, see our East Riding roadworks and travel page.