Leading coach and bus service provider, Stagecoach, have outlined proposals for a dedicated OAP bus which could help aid the Government’s cost cutting on concessionary travellers.

The Government currently spends £1 billion to find concessionary fares for 11 million people in the UK. As part of the planned cost saving cuts, the Government are aiming to save £100 million by making efficiency savings to the concessionary bus travel in the UK.

£225 million of Stagecoach’s annual £1 billion profit is reported to come from the concessionary fare scheme, funded by the UK Government.

As part of proposals to reduce the amount spent each year on the concessionary scheme, the Government is consulting bus service providers across the country for ideas on how to bring this figure down.

Brian Souter, Stagecoach Chief Executive, has discussed plans to introduce a bus service for the exclusive use of pensioners and those travelling on concessionary tickets.

Dubbed the “Granny Bus” under Stagecoach’s proposals the dedicated pensioner bus service would run less frequently, but with a larger capacity vehicle to accommodate a larger number of passengers. The bus would also travel at a slower pace which will be more acceptable to elderly passengers who can feel rushed or unsafe on regular services.

Stagecoach previously launched a bus services named the Magic Bus aimed at offering affordable travel to cash strapped services. The Granny Bus would be in a similar vein, but tailored specifically to accommodate the needs of elderly passengers.