Billericay and Wickford pensioners are being promised the ''bargain of the year'' now that Basildon Council has slashed the price of some bus passes.

From October, the cost of the Essex half fare bus pass, which lets the elderly travel for a greatly reduced fee, will be reduced by 40 per cent, from £25.50 to £15.

Announcing the move at the meeting of the council's community and leisure committee, Cllr Nigel Smith said: "It's going to be one of the great bargains of the year and it's going to be welcomed by many people."We are doing this because we want to encourage the use of half fare bus passes and to encourage the use of buses in general.

"It's going to be very attractive to many local people who don't feel they want to fork out for a full fare paid pass, or who feel they would get no benefit from it."

The announcement was also welcomed by the leader of the council's Conservative group, Wickford Cllr Malcolm Buckley: "I do think that the reduction to £15 may go someway to meeting Government requirements to get more people to use the bus service,'' she said.

"I know that in my own constituency, in Wickford, the bus services are not adequately supported by passengers and are therefore not run so often. It can be self perpetuating."

Unlike the half fare pass, however, the cost of the full Essex fare paid pass will increase from £80.60 to £83 in line with inflation.

The weekly income criteria for concessionary passes has also risen.

Residents over pensionable age but under 70 will qualify if they earn less than £127 a week (single) or £191 (married).

Residents aged over 70 will continue to qualify, regardless of income.

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