Thanks Chris. Early days yet, but I have a copy of an article from the
'Transport Ticket Society Journal' dated Feb 1995: 'Municipal Undertakings
and Concessionary Fares: A crisis in the fifties, on one town's solution' by
Ron Phillips. The town in question was Widnes, but the article does list
twenty-six local authorities who, at some time, had a scheme. A legal
challenge in Birmingham in 1954 resulted in a court ruling 'that Birmingham
(City Council) had acted beyond its powers in resolving to pay £90,000 to
offset the cost of free travel for pensioners' — hence the 'crisis' in the
article title. Roger Atkinson of the Roads & Road Transport History
Association told me 'Concessionary fares on buses in a minefield into which
few have ventured'. I will make a note of your leads. Many thanks.
Robert
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