MERSEYTRAVEL has issued a final call to disabled travellers to renew their passes before Friday, October 1.

The plea comes near the end of a four-month publicity campaign which included writing to individual pass holders, home visits, advertisements in the local press and Merseytravel outlets and information sent to residential and care homes.

And, although 40,000 disabled passes have been changed to date, as many as 7,000 remain outstanding.

Existing Zone Tickets are being replaced with new Trio passes, which are designed to a higher standard of security. Elderly people are not affected by the scheme.

A Merseytravel spokesman said it was vital that passes were changed before October 1, as drivers have been asked to withdraw them after that date. And he added: "We are asking bus drivers to exercise sensitivity in this, but it is ultimately the responsibility of the individual holder to ensure their pass is valid."

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