Disabled residents have won their battle over conditions on their free bus passes after East Sussex County Council (ESCC) made a u-turn.
Campaigners had said it was unfair that people with disabilities in the county could only use their pass after 9:3am but residents in neighbouring West Sussex and Brighton and Hove could travel at any time.
But ESCC has now had a rethink on the policy. A spokesperson said: “This change has been introduced to provide additional support for disabled passengers who often need to travel earlier in the day for work, education, or health care.”
One disabled passenger told BBC Radio Sussex: “Some people just can’t afford the fares and it can make it really difficult to get into day centres or even work. As someone on a low wage this was really expensive for me.”
A statement from ESCC said disabled bus passes could be used any time within county boundaries, but that did not include all-day travel into Brighton and Hove, Kent or West Sussex. It said the changes had come about because of additional Department for Transport funding.