The MP for Midsomer Norton has written to the minister for transport asking that bus pass restrictions are reconsidered to allow disabled users to get to and from their jobs.

The letter comes after Anna Sabine (Liberal Democrats, Frome and East Somerset) visited SWALLOW in Radstock, which works with over 170 teenagers and adults with learning difficulties, teaching them a range of skills for everyday life.

Two young women who live in assisted living homes told her about their difficulty using their pass to commute.

As it stands, users of the diamond bus pass, which allows free travel on buses for senior citizens and those with disabilities, are restricted to ‘off peak’ use between 9am and 4am which means they cannot use it to get to jobs which start any earlier than 9am.

In her letter to Simon Lightwood (Labour, Wakefield and Rothwell), she says the restrictions during typical commuter hours “implies that those who are disabled don’t have jobs or need to travel before 9am”.

The off-peak nature of the travel card, which is provided under the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme but is run by local authorities, currently allows for travel during the day and the evening.

Anna Sabine says councils “should look to make these travel cards 24 hours, or at least make the time in the morning earlier, as it would allow people to access their workplace”.

The aim of travel cards is to support those disabled holders in living their lives as independently as possible.

However, Anna believes that restrictions on time can have a significant impact on the choices they can make in terms of jobs and and potentially impede their ability to thrive.

Anna Sabine is currently awaiting a response to her letter from the minister for local transport.