Blue Badges for Organisations
A badge may be issued to organisations that care for and transport disabled people who would individually meet the eligibility criteria for a blue badge.
The cost of an Organisational Blue Badge is £10 per badge.
All applications, whether first time or renewal are treated as a new application.
An organisational badge may be issued to an organisation for use in a motor vehicle or vehicles when the vehicle or vehicles are to be used to carry disabled people who would themselves be eligible for a badge as specified in Section 4(2) of the Disabled Persons (Badges for Motor Vehicles) (England) Regulations 2000.
- An ‘organisation’ is defined in the 2000 Regulations as meaning an organisation concerned with the care of disabled persons to which a disabled person’s badge may be issued in accordance with section 21(4) of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970
It is unlikely that taxi or private hire operators and community transport operators would be eligible for an organisational Blue Badge as they are not usually concerned with the care of disabled people who would meet one or more of the eligibility criteria for a badge. Such operators are, of course, still able to use an individual’s Blue Badge when carrying that person as a passenger.
Organisational badges will only be issued to an organisation that both:
- cares for and transports disabled people who would meet one or more of the eligibility criteria for an individual Blue Badge
- has a clear need for an organisational badge rather than using the personal Blue Badges of people it is transporting
To help determine eligibility, we may ask the organisation questions
- about the number of qualifying disabled people being cared for
- about the type of vehicle(s) being used to carry them, whether it is adapted and how
- why the organisation feels they need an organisational badge rather than using individual Blue Badges of people in their care
- how often the badge is likely to be used and for what purpose
Common examples of organisations that may be eligible include residential care homes, hospices or local authority social services departments that transport groups of people who would meet the eligibility criteria for an individual Blue Badge.
Where relatively few people meet the eligibility criteria for a Blue Badge in the organisation, it would be preferable that disabled people apply for their own Blue Badge rather than have one issued to an organisation.
Who does an Organisational Blue Badge belong to
In all circumstances, badges will be supplied to the organisation and not to individual staff members.
Employees should be reminded that if they use the badge to take advantage of the concessions when there are no passengers in the vehicle who are themselves eligible for a badge they could face a fine of up to £1,000.