What was claimed
From October, bus pass rules are being modernised and people will have to re-verify their bus passes, and provide updated proof of age, residency and disability. There will also be rush hour limits in some council areas, restricting travel at peak times.
Our verdict
False. The Department for Transport has confirmed these claims are incorrect.
False claims that everyone who uses a bus pass will have to “re-verify” it in October and provide updated proof of age, residency or disability have been spreading online.
The claim, which the Department of Transport has confirmed is incorrect, has appeared in videos being shared on Facebook and TikTok.
We’ve also seen similar misleading claims about changes to bus passes appearing at the top of Google searches in the AI overview.
An audio track over the footage says the changes will also see “rush hour limits” imposed by some councils, with certain areas restricting travel at peak times.
A spokesperson for the Department for Transport told us: “The information regarding an announcement in this video is not correct.”
And a spokesperson for the Local Government Association said: “The LGA is not aware of any incoming updates nationally to bus pass restrictions. Councils will always communicate across a variety of channels for any changes to transport, and the best place to check for any such changes is the council’s own website.”
Free bus passes are provided across England and Wales to older residents. In England it can be applied for after a person reaches state pension age (which is currently 66), and at 60 in Wales.
In England, the age you can get an older person’s bus pass is set to increase to 67 from April, in line with the increase to the state pension age which begins next year.
However, London residents can also travel for free on buses, the tube and other transport in the capital when they turn 60—some other cities like Liverpool also offer free local bus travel from 60 years of age.
In Scotland and Northern Ireland, residents can get an older person’s bus pass when they turn 60.
Other UK bus passes include a disabled person’s bus pass, which can also include a companion bus pass.
While many councils already restrict bus pass use to after 9am on weekdays (in some areas this is 9.30am, and there are slightly differing end times from 11pm to late), there is no evidence that further “rush hour” restrictions are being introduced.
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Similar misleading claims have also been promoted by Google’s AI Overview tool (which appears at the top of Google searches).
Under a search for “bus pass restrictions”, Full Fact found that on one occasion the AI Overview stated: “New rules effective October 2025 will require stricter proof of age and residency, digital applications will be encouraged, and automatic renewals will be discontinued in some areas.”
But there’s also no evidence that this is happening. A Google spokesperson told us: “When issues arise—like if our features misinterpret web content or miss some context—we use those examples to improve and take appropriate action under our policies.”
On its webpage for age-related concessionary bus passes, Gloucestershire County Council includes a warning about a social media video falsely claiming that “existing card holders must register their cards by the 20th November 2025 to allow their continued use”. The council warns not to provide any personal information to anyone associated with these posts.
We have contacted Gloucestershire County Council to ask them if this is the same video and will update this article if we hear back.
This video appears to be part of a spate of false and misleading content about incoming changes to personal freedoms being shared online, which we found often originates from TikTok.
Before sharing information like this that you see on social media, first consider whether it comes from a verifiable and trustworthy source. Our Full Fact toolkit can help you do this.
This article is part of our work fact checking potentially false pictures, videos and stories on Facebook. You can read more about this—and find out how to report Facebook content—here. For the purposes of that scheme, we’ve rated this claim as false because the Department of Transport has confirmed this is not true.
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Subscribe to weekly email newsletters from Full Fact for updates on politics, immigration, health and more. Our fact checks are free to read but not to produce, so you will also get occasional emails about fundraising and other ways you can help. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy.