Taxi Cards and Travel Tokens: Taxicard and Council Schemes

Last checked November 2026. Offers and rules change: confirm with the provider before you rely on them.

Taxi cards, taxi vouchers and travel tokens are local schemes that knock money off taxi fares for people who cannot easily use buses. London has the largest, called Taxicard. Elsewhere it depends entirely on your council: some run a scheme, many do not, and most are based on disability or mobility rather than age alone.

What these schemes are

The national bus pass is no use if you cannot get to the bus stop or climb aboard. To fill that gap, some councils offer an alternative. The names vary, but they come in three broad forms:

• Taxi cards. A plastic card that entitles you to a set number of subsidised taxi trips. You pay part of the fare and the scheme pays the rest, up to a limit.
• Taxi vouchers. A book of paper vouchers with a cash value, issued once a year, which participating taxi firms accept as part payment.
• Travel tokens. Tokens with a face value that can be spent on taxis and sometimes on buses, trains or community transport.

The NHS website confirms that some councils give free taxi vouchers to people who find it difficult to use public transport. There is no national scheme and no legal duty on councils to offer one, which is why provision is so patchy.

London: the Taxicard scheme

Taxicard is run on behalf of the London boroughs and has its own website, taxicard.london. It describes itself as a subsidised service providing black taxis and private hire vehicles (minicabs) for people who might find it difficult or impossible to use other forms of transport.

Who qualifies automatically

According to the scheme's eligibility page, at the time of writing (November 2026) you qualify automatically, with proof, if you:

• receive the higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance;
• receive 8 points or more for the "moving around" activity of Personal Independence Payment;
• are registered as severely sight impaired (blind). Being registered partially sighted does not qualify automatically;
• receive a War Pension Mobility Supplement;
• receive Armed Forces Independence Payment.

Extra routes in some boroughs

Several boroughs accept other evidence from their own residents. The scheme lists higher rate Attendance Allowance as qualifying in Barnet, Hackney, Islington, Kingston upon Thames, Newham, Redbridge, Sutton and Westminster, and a Blue Badge as qualifying in Hammersmith & Fulham and Kingston upon Thames. A few boroughs also admit residents on age alone, but only at an advanced age: the page lists Islington (80 or older), Barnet and Redbridge (85 or older) and Kingston upon Thames (90 or older).

If you do not fit those categories

You can still apply, but you will need to send medical evidence supporting your application and you may be asked to attend a mobility assessment.

Trips and fares

The number of subsidised trips you get each year, and how much the scheme pays towards each one, are set borough by borough and change from time to time, so we have not quoted figures. The Taxicard website has a page explaining what a journey costs and what you pay, and the Taxicard team can tell you your own borough's allowance. You apply through the same website.

Outside London: what councils offer

Elsewhere in the UK you need to check with your own council. Schemes we found described on council websites while researching this page include taxi voucher books for residents who cannot use buses because of a disability, and taxi cards for disabled people on a low income. They share some common features:

• It is usually one or the other. Many councils offer vouchers or tokens instead of a free bus pass, not as well as it. Think about which you would use more before you choose.
• Eligibility is normally about mobility. Expect to show a benefit award letter, a Blue Badge, a sight-impairment certificate or a letter from your doctor. Age alone is rarely enough.
• The value is modest. A year's vouchers typically cover a limited number of trips, and often only part of each fare, so treat them as a help with essential journeys and not a replacement for a car.
• Vouchers expire. They are usually valid for one financial year, and lost books are often not replaced.
• Not every taxi firm takes them. The council will give you a list of participating firms. Ask when you book.

How to find out what your council offers

1. Go to your council's website and search for "taxi vouchers", "taxicard", "travel tokens" or "concessionary travel". Where there are two tiers of council, try both the district and the county.
2. If you are not online, ring the council's main number and ask for the concessionary travel team, or ask at the library.
3. Ask what evidence is needed, whether you must give up your bus pass, and when the yearly application window opens. Some schemes only take applications at certain times or have a fixed budget.

If there is no scheme where you live

Common questions

Can I get a taxi card just because I am over 60?

Almost never. These schemes are aimed at people with serious mobility or sight problems. A handful of London boroughs accept age alone, but only from 80, 85 or 90.

Can I have a bus pass and taxi vouchers?

In London, yes: Taxicard is separate from the Freedom Pass. Outside London, councils that offer vouchers often make you choose between them and the bus pass. Check your council's rules.

Is there a taxi scheme if I just need help getting to hospital?

Look first at free NHS patient transport and the travel costs refund scheme, both explained on our community transport page. They are separate from council taxi schemes.