Frequently asked questions

Unicard Ltd provides this online registration portal to Local Authorities and Passenger Transport Executives in England, however due to data protection regulations Unicard Ltd does not provide direct assistance to the public.

If your query is related to your local concessionary fares scheme, please contact your Local Authority or Passenger Transport Executive directly.

Questions relating directly to your computer hardware or software are not supported by Unicard or your Local Authority. Please contact your own supplier for assistance.

Unicard Ltd is a full registered UK company which provides this online registration service to Local Authorities in collaboration with Experian QAS Plc, a global provider of identification services.

For this application process, the website makes a request to Experian's 'Authenticate for Public Sector' software. The record of this event is known as a 'footprint', which indicates that an identity check has been done, when this occurred and the organisation (in this case, local council) that made the check. The footprint will not be seen by lenders and it will not be used for credit assessments. However, it will be seen by an individual should they request a copy of their credit report from Experian.

Unicard Ltd and Experian QAS Plc are fully compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (EU) 2016/679 and will treat your personal data in strict accordance with this regulation. In addition, please read the Terms and Conditions displayed throughout the registration process and the Privacy Statement.

If your local authority subscribe to this online service and you are eligible for a free bus pass by virtue of your age and or disability, you can register here and request your application to be finalised by your Local Authority or Passenger Transport Executive. Please consult your Local Authority website or Passenger Transport Executive for further information. Please be advised that because this system is used by multiple local authorities, features marked with a * may not be available in your area.

• Apply for a new Older Persons Pass
• Renew an Older Persons Pass *
• Replace a Lost or Damaged Older Persons Pass *
• Apply for a Disabled Persons Pass *
• Renew a Disabled Persons Pass *
• Replace a Lost or Damaged Disabled Persons Pass *

There may be a cost associated to request a replacement for a lost or damaged pass, costs may vary depending on your area.

Please use the online government state pension checker tool to see at what age you will become eligible for a state pension and associated benefits. You can check whether you are eligible for a free bus pass by using the Direct Gov website, simply click www.gov.uk. If you are a disabled applicant, you can find out more information on eligibility and application criteria via your local council website.

Barring any problems with your application, cards are sent by second class post within 5-10 days of your registration.

• Your photo has been marked as unsuitable for use on a card.

In this case your Local Authority will email the address given, giving you the opportunity to upload another photo to your account.

• You have incorrectly entered your date of birth
• You have selected the wrong address or given an old address
• Your address is not your primary place of residence
• You have already applied and your application is pending
• Inadequate proof documentation in relation to your application*

You will need:

• a private email address
• a webcam or a digital camera or an existing digital image
• a PC with internet connection. Your PC does not have to be the latest specification as long as you can access the internet, however only modern browsers can access our site for security reasons.
• Proof of disability documentation (Disabled applications only)*

You can take a photo or scan a photo to any size as long as it's a jpeg. All cameras and camera phones take photos in jpeg format. The final photo has to fit on the card and should be as clear as possible at a size of 200x240 pixels (25mm x 30mm). The better the quality with which you begin, the better the end result. But don't worry too much about the technical bits!

You can easily crop the photo using the software incorporated in the page so don't take it too close up. Head and shoulders is a good starting point for the photo.

The end result we are looking to achieve is something like this. The software will guide you through the process.

Not at all; the site uses a type of software which is built into your web browser. When you come to taking your photo, you may be prompted for permission in which case you should accept and click on "Allow" when requested to do so.

If you don't have a webcam, click on the link provided and Browse to an existing photo on your PC.

If for any reason your webcam does not respond, take a photo with a digital camera or scan a photo, then browse to the photo on your PC.

You can upload a photo in three ways:

1. You can use a webcam to take a photo. Webcams integrate seamlessly with the software incorporated in the web page. Just click on "Allow" when the request pops up on your screen and follow the step by step instructions.
2. You can take a photo with a digital camera or even a phone with a good camera on it (5 megapixels would be sufficient). You can then save it to your desktop and browse to it from the registration page. The software incorporated in the web page will help you crop and resize the photo.
3. If you have an existing printed photograph, you can use a scanner, save the photo as a jpeg to your PC and then Browse to it from the photo upload page.

If your card has been stolen please contact us directly to request and purchase a replacement.

Please refer to our Privacy Statement for information regarding our compliance to Data Protection (GDPR) guidelines Privacy Statement