Bath and NE Somerset Council (BaNES) has changed its requirements for the evidence needed to obtain the Diamond Travelcard that entitles pensioners and people with disabilities to travel free. A mooring licence for a site in BaNES; evidence of entitlement to vote in BaNES, or a letter to a PO Box or Poste Restante in BaNES addressed to the applicant from a government department or public body are now accepted as evidence of residence in the BaNES area.
One of the issues raised in the Boaters Voices project last year was the difficulty faced by boaters without home moorings in getting the concessionary bus pass that pensioners and disabled people are entitled to. The barrier faced by liveaboard pensioners was that the Councils that administer the concessionary travel scheme would not accept a Poste Restante address or provide a bus pass to someone with no address at all. This was pursued with Wiltshire Council. BaNES Council is also reviewing its procedures for applying for the bus pass.