Veteran bus passes and railway station improvements move closer

Free bus travel to help unemployed veterans and care leavers access work, education and training opportunities will arrive in Greater Lincolnshire in 2027.

Plans are also progressing to test how new transport hubs at North Hykeham and Gainsborough Lea Road railway stations could offer a blueprint for better connected and more accessible local transport options.

The schemes are flagship projects launched by Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire Dame Andrea Jenkyns, who has made improving transport and opening up access to jobs and opportunities a key part of her agenda since she was elected.

Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority is now looking at trialling both schemes as part of wider efforts to improve transport and connect more people with jobs, education, training and essential services.

Care leavers and veterans seeking employment were identified as two groups who could benefit from targeted help with travel to access employment, education and training.

It is expected that concessionary fare schemes will be trialled from April 2027 to offer:

• Free bus travel for eligible care leavers.
• Free bus travel for eligible unemployed veterans seeking work or training.

New transport hubs will also be piloted at North Hykeham and Gainsborough Lea Road railway stations. These will explore how trains, buses, walking and cycling could connect more effectively, making everyday journeys simpler and communities better connected.

The projects were part of the Mayor’s Budget Speech, which set the goal of improved transport for rural and coastal communities, and have been shaped further by the Mayor’s Transport Roadshow in the summer which saw Mayor Dame Andrea travel to communities across the area to hear directly from residents about how local transport could be improved.

The roadshow visited 11 locations as part of an engagement exercise that received almost 1,200 survey responses. Residents called for more reliable public transport, stronger rural connections and easier access to jobs and essential services, with better buses and rural connectivity emerging as their strongest transport priority.

Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire Dame Andrea Jenkyns said: “People across Greater Lincolnshire deserve a transport system that works for them. It's as simple as that.

"Getting to work, attending an appointment or visiting family shouldn't feel like an obstacle course. Yet for too many people, poor connections and limited options make everyday journeys harder than they need to be.

"I want to change that. We need transport that connects our communities, supports our local economy and gives people real choices about how they travel.

"I also believe passionately that everyone who wants to get on in life should have the chance to do so. No one should be held back simply because they cannot afford the bus fare.

"Our care leavers and veterans deserve the chance to build a future for themselves, and transport should open doors to opportunity, not stand in their way.

"I make no apology for believing in the dignity of work. Having a job, earning your own money, supporting your family and taking pride in what you achieve are things worth fighting for.”

The concessionary fare scheme and transport hub pilot projects were endorsed at the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority’s Transport Board meeting on Wednesday 11 November. The bus passes are expected to be trialled for 12 months from April 2027 to ensure they effectively meet the needs of veterans and care leavers.

They form part of wider plans to transform local transport services and infrastructure across Greater Lincolnshire. Residents’ feedback from the Mayor’s Transport Roadshow and online survey is helping to shape the upcoming Local Transport Plan, which will be open to further public consultation in the new year.