OLDER and disabled people in Darlington are snubbing travel concessions.

New figures which show public transport is seen as "irrelevant" have sparked an action plan by the borough council.

The proposals will see changes in concessionary transport arrangements, mainly involving taxi vouchers.

But bus travel incentives will stay the same as the Chancellor has announced free off-peak local bus travel for the over-60s and disabled from 2006.

Council officers do not want to cause confusion by having a double change in schemes within one year.

However, taxi vouchers for specialist vehicles now available for people unable to use conventional transport will apply to all types of cab and the Ring-a-Ride scheme.

A report to next week's transport forum says one of the aims is to encourage those not using public transport to give it a try.

A concessionary fare scheme has been running in Darlington since 2001, with options which include users paying a fee up front for free travel.

Taxi vouchers are also available, but limited to journeys made by accessible vehicles and the Ring-a-Ride service.

During 2004-5, the council budgeted £698,000 to ensure fare schemes were available. Charges vary from £80 a year for free urban travel (take-up 3,476); £90 for a year's travel throughout the borough (take-up 922) and a free standard/half fare pass up to 2009 (take-up 7,865).

A total of 1,586 people used the taxi voucher scheme.

The forum will hear that bus operators are worried about the fall in revenue per passholder trip made and the council says it cannot support further increases in concessionary fare schemes.

"Eligible people are increasingly turning away from use of a pre-paid bus pass," says development and environment director John Buxton.

In 2004, 32pc of passholders opted for a pre-paid schemes compared to 38pc in 2002 and the total number of passholders has dropped from 16,119 to 13,849.

"This implies that bus travel is no longer a preferred option for older people," says Mr Buxton.

Problems have also arisen with taxi vouchers owing to a chronic shortage of accessible vehicles with firms reluctant to invest in the vehicles.

The Ring-a-Ride scheme has also been under pressure, with demand outstripping facilities.

Mr Buxton said: "Increasingly, with an active population of older people with access to a car, bus travel is being perceived as either an irrelevance or a secondary travel option."

Under the new scheme, residents will be able to use taxi vouchers by any licensed hackney carriage or private hire vehicle where the journey begins or ends within the borough.

Eligibility criteria is also being changed to people with travel disability; those aged 75 or over and people who live in a registered residential or nursing care home.

Mr Buxton says the council wants to wait for details on the new free travel proposals before making proposals for discretionary schemes.

"We also want to encourage those in greatest need for specialist transport services to be able to access these facilities," he said.

All four operators in the pre-paid scheme are backing the recommended action.