Cambridgeshire County Council concessionary renewal made easy!

Cambridgeshire County Council, along with its partner, LGSS, has recently completed a project that has made it even easier for eligible Cambridgeshire residents to apply for or to renew their ITSO concessionary bus passes. The best way for customers to apply is online. The new form is simple to use, and customers who apply online receive their passes more quickly. For customers unable to use the online form, or to ask a friend or relative to help them, many libraries across the county are happy to help customers apply online. Customers can also call the council to apply.

The team set about to transform the service as far as was possible within legislation to put the user at the centre. Research revealed that having to to scan and upload proof of address and ID, and taking and uploading a photograph were issues for many applicants.

The new transformed service allows customers to apply and renew their concessionary bus passes with as few steps as possible, avoiding asking customers to give us the county council information that it already holds about them. It is also possible, if using a tablet or mobile phone to apply, for applicants to take their photographs instead of having to scan and upload a picture. The form automatically checks age eligibility against the pensionable age and then automatically verifies the applicant’s age and address in a similar way to other online transactions such as applying for a credit card. This means that whether applying on-line or by telephone those people who are entitled to a pass under the age criteria now usually only need to supply a photograph and, in the case of disabled applicants, a photo together with proof of eligibility.

This has made it easy for customers to apply by reducing the amount of documentation they need to supply. It has also decreased the amount of time the council needs to spend checking these documents, which has improved the efficiency of its services.