CONFUSION still reigns over the pensioners' free bus pass scheme that has left hundreds of Oxford OAPs without a ticket to ride.

All pensioners eligible for the national free bus travel scheme should have received their passes in time for the start of the scheme on April 1, but as many as 700 were left in the lurch.

Last night, Oxford City Council, which administers the scheme, promised that those who were registered, but without a pass, would have one by the start of next week.

The Town Hall says it posted out 18,000 passes in time for April 1 - and the only people left waiting were those making late applications.

They have promised the remaining passes will be posted out today.

However, despite the chaos, the council said it was not responsible for scores of pensioners' passes getting lost in the system, meaning they must re-register.

Instead, they blamed Oxford's bus drivers, who have continued to accept out-of-date passes - leading pensioners to believe they would automatically receive their new cards through the post.

A city council spokesman said: "Fifteen years ago pensioners in the city had yellow bus passes. In 2006, this changed to a blue or green card.

"When that happened, all of the details of people who renewed their pass were updated and moved on to a new system.

"Using that new system, everyone who updated their bus pass in 2006 would have received the new pass automatically. People who hadn't changed weren't on the system.

"But it was down to the bus drivers to inform passengers their pass was out of date."

Joan Hall, 75, from Old High Street, Headington, was one of those told she had to re-register.

When she did not receive her pass by April 1 she was told that she would have to visit the council's offices in St Aldate's to re-register.

She said: "I told them that this was hard for me to do, as I can't breathe or walk very well. But they insisted that this was the only way that it could be done.

"Then they told me to come down before 9am, to beat the queues, which I thought was ridiculous, because I can't even use the bus before nine with my pass. When I finally made it, there were pensioners queuing out of the door - at least 50 or so."

Gordon Skuce, of Headington, said: "I don't know why I didn't get a direct replacement, like my wife did."

Michael Thurgood, 63, from Greater Leys, is still waiting for his pass. He said: "People I know who fall under other councils have already received theirs with no problem, but here it's absolute chaos."

Oxford Bus Company operations director Louisa Weeks said: "We're amazed to hear the council's comments, as we have been going out of our way to help all the local authorities during the transition to the new scheme.

"It would seem we're in an invidious position, as our drivers have been telling passengers with old passes they would need updating, but we would be roundly condemned if we left senior citizens standing at the kerbside."

DIFFICULT TRANSITION

Bus drivers are the latest to be blamed for confusion surrounding the free bus pass scheme.

So far, Oxford City Council has blamed patchy distribution on "systems problems" and Royal Mail has accused of taking too long to deliver them.

Pensioners who have yet to receive their new passes can use their existing ones, but only within the boundary of the council that issued the card.

Alternatively, OAPs can visit the city council's customer service centre, at St Aldate's Chambers, with proof of their address so they can collect a pass.