BLIND disability campaigner Colin Walsh is urging people in the south of the county to fight plans to axe free taxi travel for the disabled and pensioners.

The 73-year-old Oxford resident, is urging residents to attend a public meeting about Oxfordshire County Council’s plans to axe travel tokens.

These are offered as an alternative to free bus passes and are popular with residents of rural areas with limited bus services. The tokens are worth up to £20 a year and can be used to pay cab fares.

South Oxfordshire District Council used to run the scheme but it is being transferred to the county council, which is set to withdraw tokens throughout the county from April 1.

Mr Walsh, a spokesman for campaign group Transport For All, said: “Residents in the Wallingford area and across south Oxfordshire are going to be hard hit. The district council could quite easily pay for this out of its reserves. It is trying to get away with making this cut by claiming that travel tokens are now someone else’s responsibility.”

County council spokesman Owen Morton said: “While the county council will continue to offer free travel on Dial-a-Ride and other similar community transport schemes, it will not continue subsidising other non-statutory options, such as travel tokens and discount railcards.”

District council spokesman Gavin Walton said: “The decision to transfer travel administration – including travel tokens – to the county council was taken in March last year by the Government.”

  • The meeting is on Wednesday, at Centre 70, in Goldsmiths Lane, Wallingford, at 11am.