Staff at public transport promoter Centro-PTA are working hard to ensure passes for free travel on trains, buses and trams for all elderly and disabled people in the West Midlands are ready for this Sunday.

Nearly 24,000 passes have been mailed to senior citizens ahead of the introduction of the new concessionary scheme on July 24. Just 300 are now left to send. About 12,000 blind and disabled passes are ready to go with less than 200 to do.

From this Sunday anyone over 60 years old living in the West Midlands county, or who meets standard disability criteria, will qualify for a free off-peak travel pass.

People aged 60 to 64 and disabled people – who already benefit from a concessions scheme run by Centro and funded by the PTA and seven local councils – will automatically receive their passes over the next few days.

“I am pleased to see that everyone here is keen to make sure that people get their new passes on time,” said Cllr Gary Clarke, Chairman of the policy setting PTA. “One of the main ways of increasing usage of public transport is through wide ranging concessions to those who need them most, which is why we are introducing this scheme,” he added.

The PTA decided to bring in a new scheme, covering all modes of travel, after Chancellor Gordon Brown announced in his last Budget that free bus travel would be offered to the over 60s from April 2006.

Making the free travel passes available earlier is expected to cost the West Midlands about £3m, which the PTA hopes to recover from next year’s payments.

For public information about the concessions and how to apply (including a downloadable application form), please visit the main Centro website (www.centro.org.uk) or to go straight to the relevant page, click here