National Transport travel tokens

ID: A pile of small silver tokens next to a brown paper bag.The tokens are embossed with the words 'national transport token' and a number 5, with a hole cut out in the centre. These tokens were issued by a welfare organisation or charity to a local resident in Liverpool in 1968. Though the scheme started in the North West of England, it had expanded across the country by 1972. The tokens were most often issued to disabled people and pensioners. They could be used on most public transport services (such as buses, trams, trains or taxis), alongside or instead of currency. The tokens pictured here are in units of 5 pence, equivalent to about £1.11 in 2023. Though they were used less frequently over time, the tokens paved the way for modern forms of concessionary travel for disabled people. By 2018, when the scheme closed, National Transport Tokens had been gradually replaced by other programmes, such as the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme, which provides free off-peak bus travel for all disabled people and over 60s nationwide.