Temporary bus pass available for Ukrainian nationals on the Homes for Ukraine scheme

Surrey County Council has worked with bus operators in Surrey to set up a scheme offering Ukrainian nationals a bus pass which will give them free travel on their most used bus route.

The temporary bus passes are valid for three months from issue to help Ukrainians newly arrived in Surrey on the Homes for Ukraine scheme, to get around. Each person aged 5+ years intending to travel by bus will need to show their individual bus pass. Children under 5 years don’t need their own bus pass.

The Homes for Ukraine temporary bus pass is free of charge and users will simply be able to show their pass to the driver or tap on the ticket machine when boarding the bus from their chosen route, to enable them to travel whilst they settle into their new lives.

Listed below are operators currently offering the Homes for Ukraine temporary bus pass on their routes. Once issued, the bus pass can be used Monday to Sunday on the routes offered by the chosen bus operator only. We are hoping that more bus operators will offer the scheme soon.

The current confirmed bus operators supporting the scheme are:

• Compass Travel
• Metrobus
• Stagecoach
• Falcon Coaches

Cllr Matt Furniss, Cabinet Member for Transport & Infrastructure, said: “The County Council, Districts & Boroughs, charities, community groups and many of our residents have responded quickly and proactively with a huge amount of empathy in supporting Ukrainian refugees coming to Surrey. All our Ukrainian guests have been warmly welcomed, with a wide range of support provided. This has included housing, clothing, access to education, along with the provision of basic essentials that we all take for granted.

“This bus pass is the latest part of that support and I hope will prove very useful for people as they settle into a new life here in Surrey. I’d like to thank Surrey’s bus operators for working to provide this, alongside all our local partners and central government who set up the Homes for Ukraine scheme and provided funding alongside – the support for Ukrainians coming here really is a team effort.”

For Ukrainian refugees who have travelled to the UK in their own vehicles, a free 6-month parking permit is now also being offered at their host address, regardless of whether the household has reached their permit allocation. Ukrainian nationals should contact their local district or borough parking team to arrange their parking permit.

To find out more please visit our webpage: Welcome to Surrey and council support for Ukrainian Nationals – Surrey County Council (surreycc.gov.uk)

Notes:

The bus pass is for those who have arrived through the Homes for Ukraine scheme only, and is part funded through that scheme.