Drivers born in these years urged to buy a car after DVLA makes decision

Drivers born in these years will be forced to buy a car for the first time - in the wake of the UK bus fare hike. The number of driving licences issued to over-70s - born before 1954 - has doubled since 2003, according to The Telegraph newspaper, in a release this week.

Michael Solomon Williams, from the Campaign for Better Transport, said: "The decimation of the rural bus network over the past decade means older people have few options for getting around if they stop driving; the concessionary bus pass is only of use if there's a bus to catch."

Dennis Reed, director of pensioner lobby group Silver Voices, highlighted the limited options available, stating: "If there's no public transport available, then the only alternatives are very expensive taxis, which a lot of people can't afford, or somebody giving them a lift - a friendly neighbour, or something like that - or trying to keep your little car on the road."

READ MORE 29 parts of England set for snow on Tuesday and Wednesday according to Met Office

Mr Williams added: "Older people need confidence that they won't be disconnected from friends, family and medical care if they stop driving, which means lost bus routes must be reinstated." Steve Gooding from the RAC Foundation said: "We shouldn't view the challenge as simply one of getting veteran drivers to hang up their car keys but of assisting those who continue driving to do so safely.

"For all the talk of active travel and other modes of transport, a car is the most practical way of getting about for many elderly people, particularly those in areas where alternatives - buses, for example - are all but non-existent." The Department for Transport (DfT) has given more details on its plans for 2025 after announcing the funding last month.

It has promised to deliver what it calls "London-style" services to every corner of the country, and said funding would be allocated based on levels of deprivation and population, instead of making areas compete for investment as it has in previous years.