Pensioners can now travel free on the bus within Oxford, and in two years, the Government will allow pensioners to travel free on all local buses across the country.

Oxford City Council has been committed to cheap bus fares for elderly and disabled people for many years.

From this month, we will be spending just under £2m on free bus fares for pensioners, which is one tenth of all the money the council has available to decide how to spend.

This is a lot more than any of the other district councils in Oxfordshire, because many more pensioners use the bus in Oxford city than elsewhere in the county.

In some parts of the county, there are hardly any buses.

We will be working with the county council and other district councils to see how we can continue to expand this scheme, whether by investing in more 'dial-a-ride' buses for people who can't use regular buses, or by expanding the free travel to cover other places outside Oxford.

Other councils, including the Vale of White Horse, have, in the past, made promises to pensioners, then been forced to make cuts.

We have put a lot of money into free bus travel, and we are committed to expanding the scheme, but we won't make promises that we can't keep.

Dan Paskins Executive Member for Social Inclusion Oxford City Council