If you can't use ordinary buses because you're blind or have serious walking disabilities you could be eligable to buy vouchers for discounted travel taxis in taxis, private hire vehicles and community transport schemes like Ring & Ride.
Do you qualify?
To qualify for travel vouchers you must:
- be registered as blind; or
- get Disability Living Allowance (DLA) with the higher rate mobility component; or
- get Personal Independece Payment (PIP) with the enhanced mobility component; or
- get higher rate Attendance Allowance; or
- get War Pensioners Mobility Supplement; or
- if you don't get any of those benefits, but you can't walk 100 metres, or climb steps of 30 centimetres – as long as a doctor confirms this.
You can't use vouchers if you already have a travel pass or travel plus pass for disabled people.
The costs and the benefits
You can buy travel vouchers and use them instead of cash to pay for taxis, private hire vehicles and community transport schemes anywhere in Greater Manchester. Using travel vouchers works out as a quarter of the normal travel cost. For example, you get £20 worth of travel vouchers for just £5.
You can buy up to a maximum of £120 worth of vouchers per year (from April to March). You can buy these all in one go or purchase these throughout the year. A sheet of vouchers costs £5 each (with a value of £20 of travel on each sheet). You can therefore purchase a maximum of 6 sheets a year (at a cost of £30 to you for £120 worth of travel). We are unable to sell less than £5 worth of travel vouchers at a time.
We are unable to give refunds for unused travel vouchers so you should only purchase as many vouchers as you need.
Membership card
Your membership card can be used for rail and Metrolink travel on journeys within Greater Manchester. Bus travel is not included.
If you are registered blind you can use your membership card for free travel at all times. Your card will say Free Travel on the front.
If you are mobility impaired you can travel for free between 9.30am and midnight Monday to Friday, and all day at weekends and on public holidays. Your card will say Concessionary Travel on the front. Before 9.30am Monday to Friday, you pay half the current standard fare.
Apply for travel vouchers
You must be a member of the travel vouchers scheme to order travel vouchers.
If you are not currently a member, please phone 0161 244 1000 for an application form. Once you have completed an application form, please send this to the address stated on the form and your application will be processed.
Once you are a member of the travel voucher scheme, you can then order your vouchers over the phone or by completing an order form that will be sent to you in the post.
