Most concessionary schemes before ENCTS didn't provide for free travel for pensioners. There was a brief time when there was a hybrid system of free travel, but only in the local area, but predominantly in history pensioners have had to pay for their bus travel, albeit at a reduced rate.
In the former Macclesfield borough I'm aware pre-ENCTS the scheme was over 60s got offered a choice of:
1. Free senior railcard.
2. Free bus pass.
If they chose the latter they got free bus travel on journeys starting and ending in the borough (with an exception of pre-09:30 on weekdays.) So if they got on the Macclesfield to Manchester bus in Macclesfield they could stay on until Manchester without paying but if they broke their journey in Cheadle they then had to pay for the Cheadle-Manchester leg or go back south to Handforth and then travel north to Manchester.
I'm not sure how long the pre-ENCTS scheme ran for.
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