At the ripe old age of 100 Arthur Taylor of Erdington is still using his free bus pass to get about.    As well as a telegram and birthday card from the Queen Arthur also received a golden bus pass from transport authority Centro.

Arthur, who has never driven, has had a lifelong relationship with public transport.  Both his wife and her mother cleaned the trams and his wife helped clean the last tram in Birmingham before it made its final journey.

He has been using his free bus pass since 1975 when he turned 65. He uses the 28 to get to Erdington High Street, the 65 and 7 to get into Birmingham city centre and the 80 buses to get to City Hospital.

PHOTO CAPTION: 3A left to right - National Express driver Carl Gauntett, Arthur Taylor,   Sue Kennedy from Centro and Lynn Murtagh (Arthur’s granddaughter)

On receiving his gold bus pass Arthur said:

“This really is something.  I have always used the buses and I used the trams in the past.  I remember when it cost just 1p for the tram. 

“Without the buses my granddaughter wouldn’t be able to get over to look after me and I wouldn’t be able to get out and about without my pass.”

Like every other pensioner in England, Arthur’s pass entitles him to free travel on local buses.  Yet because he lives in the West Midlands he benefits from one of the best free travel schemes in the country. That’s because Centro tops up the scheme to also give West Midlands pass holders free travel on the region’s trains, trams and Ring and Ride services.

Sue Kennedy, who leads the concessions department at Centro, said the free passes were a lifeline for many older people in the region, giving them even greater freedom to travel.

 “We are thrilled that Mr Taylor is still making use of his bus pass at 100 years of age.” Sue said.

“He is a great example of why this is such a fantastic scheme for many older people, who rely on free bus, train and tram travel to visit friends, family or tourist attractions in the West Midlands.”