A NORTH-East council is set to renew almost 1,000 bus passes by April 1 after expiring on March 1.

Darlington Borough Council will be renewing disabled and disabled companion concessionary bus passes.

The passes will be sent direct to Disabled Pass holders whose pass expires at the end of March 2021. All Disabled passes should be received by 1 April 2021.

Thousands more Older Person’s concessionary bus passes will also expire at the end of March. These pass holders will be able to renew their pass using a new online bus pass service.

The online service will go live from Thursday March 4 and Older Person’s pass holders will need to renew before March 31 if they wish to travel from April 1.

Being able to offer an online bus pass renewal service will provide a safer way to renew as it will limit unnecessary face to face contact.

Councillor Andy Keir, Darlington Borough Council’s cabinet member for Transport, said:

“The renewal of around 12,000 bus passes is already well underway with all Disabled passes being processed and posted out over the coming weeks. Older Person’s passes that expire on or before 31 March will need to be renewed online.

“The effects of Lockdown have meant that more and more services have moved online. Many of our older residents are already using online services such as supermarket shopping and our library service’s select and collect service.

“However, we would hope that if anyone is struggling to renew online, they can ask friends and family to lend a hand. There is also a telephone line for anyone who needs further help to renew their pass.”

The web page can be found at: www.darlington.gov.uk/bus-pass