A BLACKPOOL woman fears she will be almost a prisoner in her own home when she has to give up her disability bus pass at 65.

Claremont Road resident Miss P.A.Taylor wrote to the Citizen when she discovered she would be forced to give up her disability bus pass, which entitles her to travel for 30p anywhere in Lancashire and apply for a senior citizens half-fare pass at 65.

"It is not fair - we cannot help being disabled," she said. "We should be allowed to keep our disablement bus passes until we die.

"It is a godsend to me, as a disabled person living alone. It gets me out and about, meeting people, whereas when I'm 65 on half-fares I won't be able to afford to go out much by bus.

"I shop every day in town, and the bus fare soon mounts up. I'd like to appeal to social services to let us keep our disabled bus passes after 65."

Blackpool executive member for social services Coun Sue Wright said: "This is a Lancashire-wide policy and it does seem unfair. I can understand how they feel but it has been in existence for some time and we haven't had any previous complaints.

"If we were to continue disablement bus passes after 65, I'm afraid the money would have to be taken away from other services.

"It's very difficult, and of course I sympathise. It's understandable that people are upset, but it's a question of a limited budget."

Blackpool Age Concern chief executive Pauline Spencer said: "This is another example of ageism that we are campaigning against up and down the country.

"Bureaucracy seems to think that once you're a pensioner you don't need to go out and do anything any more. It's like the mobility allowance - if you haven't got one before you're 65 you can't get one afterwards, and people on disability living allowance often find that altered when they reach pensionable age.

"It's all to do with funding. I think this lady's quite right - if she qualifies for a disablement bus pass at 64, she should get it at 65. She doesn't become any less disabled in one year."

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