Free bus travel expanded for disabled people as Somerset and North Somerset road problems mount
A national extension of free bus travel comes as local authorities in the West Country face fresh road-safety complaints and planned closures.
The Department for Transport said eligible disabled people across England will get free bus travel all day, every day, after the government announced it would lift time restrictions on concessionary passes [3].
The announcement came in the same week that a Taunton resident told Somerset authorities a narrow school route with no pavement was "an accident waiting to happen", the Somerset County Gazette reported [2].
Meanwhile, North Somerset Council announced road closures between August and November 2026 affecting Wraxall, Pill, Portishead, Clevedon and Yatton, the North Somerset Times reported [1].
Taken together, the developments place transport accessibility under renewed scrutiny across the region.
Sources
- North Somerset Times: Several road closures across North Somerset announced by council
- Somerset County Gazette: Taunton resident tells council road is 'an accident waiting to happen'
- Department for Transport GOV.UK activity: Free bus travel 24/7 for disabled people as Prime Minister takes further action to ease cost of living
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