All they have to do is make sure they get their FREE bus pass!
Freedom Never Gets Old is a campaign to encourage everyone who is entitled to a free bus pass to either get theirs now or be thinking about getting one when they get to their 66th birthday.
The campaign is aimed at getting people to use their local bus service in the wake of the COVID pandemic.
Rolling out in August, Freedom Never Gets Old is targeted at all those who have suffered the longest and most severe restrictions during the pandemic and are now in need of support and encouragement to reconnect with bus services in Lincolnshire.
The campaign will be at bus stops and shelters, libraries, supermarkets, parish noticeboards, community venues and on social media platforms.
It will explain how the bus pass is completely free to obtain and use, saving potentially hundreds of pounds a year against the running costs for a car.
It will also focus on the value of increased social activity accessible through bus usage, using Demand Responsive bus services such as CallConnect and ConnectBus and the direct benefit to bus operators.
Bus services need passengers to survive and although bus pass holders do not pay fares, their journeys are subsidised by the local transport authority and it’s this that then supports the bus operators.
Cllr Richard Davies, executive member for highways and transport said:
“Our campaign is rightly putting a lot of effort into engaging with the nearly 250,000 people in Lincolnshire who are either eligible now, or soon will be, for a free bus pass.
“I urge everyone who can, to apply for one. Get your free bus pass now or be aware that this is a real benefit for everyone aged 66 and over.
"It’s an entirely free way to travel around our county and immediately gives the user a huge scope of places to go and things to do.”
How to get your FREE bus pass
There are only two stipulations for getting the bus pass; you must be of national retirement age 66, and be eligible for a state pension.
The best way to find out if you’re eligible is to check locally. At the LCC website, lincsbus.info/freedom, there are details on how to phone or apply online. Once you have, you apply online or by telephone on 0345 456 4474.
You should then receive your FREE bus pass within 10 working days (it might take a bit longer at peak times).
What does the FREE bus pass get me?
Your FREE bus pass gives you free travel on off-peak scheduled bus services. In Lincolnshire you get the extra benefit of free local journeys before 9.30am as long as the journey started in the county.