Isle of Wight residents who rely on locally funded free travel concessions have until Friday (20th November) to make their views known before a consultation into potential changes comes to an end.
The Isle of Wight Council is seeking feedback on the future of its Gold and Silver New Islander cards, which provide additional travel support for residents with certain mental health conditions and those who require assistance when travelling.
The consultation opened on 23rd October and is due to close next week, with no decisions yet made on whether the existing benefits will be reduced or withdrawn.
The Council wants to hear how changes could affect residents’ ability to get to work, attend medical appointments, access education and maintain contact with friends and family.
Gold New Islander cards are available to residents with severe and enduring mental health conditions, while Silver cards provide concessionary travel for a companion where an eligible resident cannot use public bus services without assistance.
The review affects only locally funded concessions. The national entitlement to free bus travel for older and disabled residents will remain unchanged.
The possible changes form part of wider efforts to address the Council’s financial difficulties, with a structural budget deficit approaching £66million a year forecast by 2029/30.
The authority has previously confirmed that the Island’s concessionary travel scheme cost £5.3million in 2025/26, although this figure includes both statutory and discretionary travel benefits.
Michelle Love, Isle of Wight Council’s Service Director for Highways and Community Protection, has previously said:
“We know these concessions can make a real difference to people’s independence, wellbeing and ability to access everyday services, which is why it is so important that we hear directly from those who use them.”
Residents, carers and other interested parties can submit their views until Friday (20th November) by visiting www.iow.gov.uk/islander.
