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People with epilepsy can today apply for a concessionary travel card on a new simplified form thanks to Epilepsy Scotland’s campaigning work with Transport Scotland. Travellers will now bypass the Driving Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA).  Instead they can fill in a form which their consultant signs. This form goes to the local authority which issues a concessionary travel pass.

Until now passengers with epilepsy followed a complicated system to get a travel pass. They needed a refusal letter on medical grounds from DVLA.  For people without a driving licence this meant sending a standard application and £45 cheque - which DVLA eventually refunded.  Former drivers required a DVLA letter stating their licence was revoked.  This pointless process took weeks.

Following complaints about the application system, Epilepsy Scotland lobbied hard, with support from clinicians and specialist nurses, MSPs and the Joint Epilepsy Council, to cut through bureaucratic red tape.   After months of joint working, Transport Scotland has given the green light to a simple form for people with epilepsy which is easier to complete and understand.

Epilepsy Scotland’s Chief Executive Susan Douglas-Scott commented: “The application system was really unfair.  People with epilepsy faced extra hurdles to get a travel pass than those with another disability.  I’m glad Transport Scotland took our concerns on board.  We’ve been a driver for change and the new form shows just how successful joint working can be.”  

John Finlay, Transport Scotland’s Concessionary Fares Operations Manager said “We have been working closely with Epilepsy Scotland to simplify the process of obtaining a National Entitlement Card.  We are pleased that this now makes it easier for eligible people with epilepsy to access free bus travel.”

Ends

Notes to editor

1.  Epilepsy Scotland works with people affected by epilepsy to ensure that their voice is heard.  We campaign for improved healthcare, better information provision and an end to stigma.  This common serious neurological condition affects one in130 people.  We represent nearly 40,000 Scots with epilepsy, their families and carers.  Our freephone Helpline (0808 800 2200) offers advice, support and information - which is also available from our website: www.epilepsyscotland.org.uk

2.  People with epilepsy who are in receipt of Disability Living Allowance (DLA); or between five and 16 years; or over 60 years are entitled to a concessionary travel pass for use on buses in Scotland. Anyone diagnosed with epilepsy who has had a seizure within the past 12 months is also entitled to apply.

3.  Someone taking a seizure is advised not to drive.  People are legally required to inform DVLA of their diagnosis of epilepsy if they hold a driving licence. Their licence will be revoked but can be reapplied for if they have been seizure free for one year. This can come as a huge blow for many people. Apart from a loss of independence, losing a driving licence can be particularly hard to accept if your job involves driving, or if other people rely on you for lifts to work or school.

4.  The new form must be signed by a consultant and not a GP, which was the former system until the concessionary travel card scheme introduced by Transport Scotland in 2006.

5.  The new form for people with epilepsy is available from Epilepsy Scotland’s Helpline on 0808 800 2200.  You can also get it from local authority offices except in Strathclyde where it is available from the Travel Card Unit Strathclyde Partnership for Transport on 0141 333 3211.  Everyone will still need to fill in the pink application for Scotland-wide free bus travel form, NCT 001.

6.  Over the last six months, the Scottish Parliament’s Cross-Party Group on Epilepsy wrote to the Transport Minister, Stewart Stevenson MSP about streamlining the travel card application process for people with epilepsy.  The Joint Epilepsy Council and some MSPs also wrote to Transport Scotland to encourage changes to the way the system was operating.