Free bus pass under threat?

Errata

Coiuncils in tourist hotspots are suffering disproportionately from the change from local feee bus pass to one that can be used nationally. It may be that any future change will go back to local use only.

alared

http://www.lga.gov.uk/lga/aio/5756085

If anything according to the above,concessionary travel,which is statuary, is being extended and may in future even allow cross boarder travel between Wales England and Scotland.

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wms/?id=2009-11-04a.45WS.4

The scheme is fully funded and will continue, so stop reading a load of tripe in the newspapers.

melancholly

i don't understand why the bus pass age isn't the same as the retirement age - no problem at all with it being given out, makes sense in many ways, but if they linked it with retirement it would make sense and save money (obviously assuming they need to save the money, which may not even be the case!).

alared

Bus passes are NOT given out

---

you have to apply for one.
The age limit is 60 for both sexes because they can`t discriminate.
Other groups of people are also entitled to apply for concessionary travel if they match the criteria.
Also there`s thousands who haven`t and don`t want to apply.
The buses still run whether a bus pass is used or not.
It`s not a question of "saving money",the money is already there.
Women have "retired" at 60 for years even though men had to work `til 65.
Instead of dropping the age to 60 for everyone the tight fisted government put it up to 65 (soon to be 67) for everyone.
Governments don`t mind you paying in for donkey`s years but they hate it when you start to draw it out.

dzug1

alared wrote: »

The buses still run whether a bus pass is used or not.
.

mmm no In the short term maybe.

Many routes depend on the revenue from the bus pass to survive. If they lose this revenue then either the council provides a direct subsidy to the bus company to run them (so bang goes the saving) or they cease to run

melancholly

alared wrote: »

Bus passes are NOT given out

---

you have to apply for one.
The age limit is 60 for both sexes because they can`t discriminate.
Other groups of people are also entitled to apply for concessionary travel if they match the criteria.
Also there`s thousands who haven`t and don`t want to apply.
The buses still run whether a bus pass is used or not.
It`s not a question of "saving money",the money is already there.
Women have "retired" at 60 for years even though men had to work `til 65.
Instead of dropping the age to 60 for everyone the tight fisted government put it up to 65 (soon to be 67) for everyone.
Governments don`t mind you paying in for donkey`s years but they hate it when you start to draw it out.

sorry - 'given out' was a poor choice of words - however, even though you have to 'apply', it's a guarantee and i think that's just splitting hairs.

my understanding from council members near me, is that the use of bus passes has exceeded their expectations and that they are worried about funding it. i think it's an important service that should be available and that people deserve. however, if there is any concern over being able to continue to fund it in the long term, without detriment to other council services, i maintain that linking it to retirement age makes sense.

linking this to other groups who get concessionary travel doesn't make sense to me. it's about bus passes for those who have retired and deserve it for that reason. i don't think that it's tight fisted to make sure that a finite amount of money is spent where it is deserved. now i think the age for all the 'benefits' for older adults should be matched - so heating allowance should be at the same age as the bus pass and things like that. i don't think it is 'unfair' to get it at 60; it just seems like a sensible cost saving solution (*if needed*) to link these benefits with retirement ages. it's a possible practical solution to having an increasing aging population, that needs to be addressed.

alared

The fact of the matter is that concessionary travel is NOT under threat, only in the minds of headline grabing journalists.

Doc_N

alared wrote: »

The fact of the matter is that concessionary travel is NOT under threat, only in the minds of headline grabing journalists.

I'm not so sure I'd describe that as a fact - more a viewpoint. However, I'd go along with the general sentiment.

It could, of course, be a deliberate government 'leak' to sound out the likely reaction. My own view, for what it's worth, is that any government which decided to restrict the present scheme would be signing its own death warrant. The over-60 vote is a powerful one, and becoming increasingly so.

Errata

Can any government afford not to revert to the previous scheme when the current one is beggaring councils like Scarborough and Torquay ?

alared

Errata wrote: »

Can any government afford not to revert to the previous scheme when the current one is beggaring councils like Scarborough and Torquay ?

From the link in my earlier post which you should find time to read:

116 councils would see their grant remain unchanged;
95 councils would have their grant increased;
of the councils which would gain funding under the proposals, 9 would receive over £1 million.

Councils like the two mentioned can get extra funding.