Disability Alliance Factsheet

Blue badge scheme

What is it?

If you have problems with walking or other mobility problems you may be able to get a blue badge to enable you to park your car near shops and other places you wish to visit.

What are the rules?

You qualify for a blue badge if you are age two or over and one of the following applies:

• you are getting higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance
• you are receiving a war pensioner’s mobility supplement
• you are a registered blind person
• you drive a motor vehicle regularly, have a severe disability in both arms, and are unable to operate all or some types of parking meter (or would find it very difficult to operate them).
• you have a permanent and substantial disability which causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking

You can also get a blue badge for a child under the age of two who, because of his or her medical condition must need one of the following:

• must always be accompanied by bulky medical equipment which cannot be carried around with the child without great difficulty
• must always be kept near a motor vehicle so that, if necessary, treatment for that condition can be given in the vehicle or the child can be taken quickly in the vehicle to a place where such treatment can be given.

Bulky medical equipment can include ventilators, suction machines, feed pumps, parenteral equipment, syringe drivers, oxygen administration equipment, continual oxygen saturation monitoring equipment and casts and associated medical equipment for the correction of hip dysplasia.

Where does the blue badge scheme operate?

The blue badge scheme operates all over the United Kingdom (UK) but there are local differences with the operation of the scheme in certain London boroughs and other large towns or cities in the UK.

In Northern Ireland the scheme applies to on-street parking but you can also get a "white badge" to access pedestrian zones.

How do I apply?

Contact your local authority.

Where can I get more information?

You can find out more information about the blue badge scheme as well as other information related to motoring and disability in Disability Alliance's Disability Rights Handbook at www.disabilityalliance.org/drh35.htm.

There is information about the scheme on the Department for Transport's website at www.dft.gov.uk/transportforyou/access/bluebadge/.

You can also view an online blue badge map on the Direct Gov website at http://www.direct.gov.uk/bluebadgemap.

The Blue Badge map can be used to find:

• blue badge parking bays in over 100 towns and cities across the UK
• red route parking bays in London
• petrol stations and their service facilities on major routes in the UK
• accessible public toilets in over 100 towns and cities across the UK
• railway stations and their accessibility
• underground stations and their accessibility in London
• taxi ranks
• shopmobility centres
• accessible beaches
• wheelyboat locations
• mobility centres
• locations of interest, like town halls, hospitals, museums and tourist attractions
• parking rules for all councils in the UK

Information about the blue and white badge schemes in Northern Ireland is available at www.roadsni.gov.uk/index/bluebadge.htm.

The Welsh assembly intends to extend the blue badge scheme in Wales. For more infomation see www.disabilityalliance.org/blue4.htm.

You can obtain copies of our factsheets and publications by contacting Disability Alliance on  020 7247 8776 (this is not an advice line) or by fax on 020 7247 8765. All factsheets are available at www.disabilityalliance.org/fact.htm. All publications are available at www.disabilityalliance.org/shop.htm.

www.disabilityalliance.org - April 2010