ENCTS Administrative Services

As a Transport Concession Authority (TCA), ECC has a statutory duty to provide qualifying residents with free bus passes under the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS). For the purposes of the ENCTS, qualifying residents are those persons who have either reached pensionable age or have a disability which qualifies them under legislation.

This Scheme helps older people and people with disabilities live independently, those without other means of travel access work, health and shopping and by substituting for car journeys helps improve air quality, lowers carbon emissions and congestion.

Managing the scheme is a large scale and technical process, catering to more than 260,000, pass holders across Essex.

The Authority has entered into a Contract with a single Contractor, to provide administrative services to deliver this Scheme on our behalf, including the management of bus pass applications, assessments, data management, card production, customer contact, the reimbursement of bus operators and specialist consultant functions for the scheme.

This Contract commences on the 1st April 2026, for an initial term of 2 years, with two 12-month extension provisions to be exercised at the Authority's sole discretion.

The value is anticipated to be £743,390 for the initial 2 year term; and should both the extension provisions be exercised, a total value of £1,449,114 for the 4 years.