Time running out to renew travel passes

Thousands of people across the West Midlands are running out of time to renew their free travel passes. A total of 120,000 people aged over 60 are to get replacement passes issued by Centro.

Their old passes expire on August 31 and Sarah Jones, Centro's head of customer services at the transport authority, said: "We would urge anyone who hasn't done so already to check their pass. If it expires on August 31, 2012 and they have not received a letter inviting them to renew they should contact us.

"We have written to everyone on our database whose pass expires on August 31.

"These letters were sent out in June but it is always possible that some people may not have received them."

The authority has a helpline available between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday to renew travel passes."

Passes were first sent out in 2008 after the Government introduced free travel on any local bus service in England for all pensioners.

It meant that pensioners could still travel on the buses using their pass even if they were on holiday or outside of the West Midlands.

The original smart passes expired in four batches – March 2012, August 2012, March 2013 and April 2013 and Centro is currently processing the August 2012 renewals.

Customers with passes expiring in 2013 will receive their renewal letters nearer to the expiry date.