At Last: The All-Day Bus Pass

Tom Gordon, Lib Dem MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, celebrated with local Liberal Democrats and Disability Action Yorkshire at a local bus depot today, after the Government confirmed it will scrap time restrictions on disabled people's bus passes from April next year - the policy Tom has campaigned on since February 2025.

The MP was joined at the depot by Jackie Snape, Chief Executive of Disability Action Yorkshire - the charity whose members first raised the 9am rule with Mr Gordon at a constituency event in February 2025, and which has campaigned alongside him since.

Tom said, "Standing at the local bus stop this morning with local Lib Dem councillors and with Jackie and her team, it hit me what almost two years of campaigning has actually won: disabled people in Harrogate, Knaresborough and across the country can now get on the bus whenever they need to.

"Disabilities don't start at 9 o'clock, and soon neither will disabled bus passes."

The announcement drew cross-party recognition of the campaign. Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who adopted the policy in Greater Manchester after attending a parliamentary reception hosted by Mr Gordon and Whizz Kidz in December 2025, posted: "It has been good to work with you on this, Tom."

Katharine Macy, Chair of Lib Dem Disability Action (LDDA) said, “ I've been living in one of the few cities that had already lifted the restriction on disabled bus passes, and it makes such a difference. Travelling to work is the main reason I use buses. If we want to see more disabled people in employment, allowing us access to transport we rely on is a basic step. I'm so pleased to see Tom's resilience has paid off, as I know how much of a difference it makes.”.