Free bus pass under threat?

seven-day-weekend

Yes krisskross, we come from the days when you brought your children up without the help of benefits.

The tax credits and childcare allowance these days will cover the kids' bus fares and other things.

And anyway all the children I see on buses have a seat to themselves so why shouldn't it be a full fare? My son had half fares, but I made him sit on my lap or stand up if an adult didn't have a seat. Many people won't even move shopping off the seats these days to let you sit down.

I'm not normally so forthright, but the posters' attitude annoyed me, as she seems to think a young family is more important than anyone else.

My husband and I, like krisskross and her husband, have many years of working and paying into the system under our belt; surely a bus pass isn't too much to ask?

HairY

delain wrote: »

i hope they scrap it.

My local bus company scrapped child fares before 9am to make up the shortfall

Yeah like the bus company will bring that back when the gubment scrap the free bus pass :rolleyes:

delain

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

Yes krisskross, we come from the days when you brought your children up without the help of benefits.

The tax credits and childcare allowance these days will cover the kids' bus fares and other things.

And anyway all the children I see on buses have a seat to themselves so why shouldn't it be a full fare? My son had half fares, but I made him sit on my lap or stand up if an adult didn't have a seat. Many people won't even move shopping off the seats these days to let you sit down.

I'm not normally so forthright, but the posters' attitude annoyed me, as she seems to think a young family is more important than anyone else.

My husband and I, like krisskross and her husband, have many years of working and paying into the system under our belt; surely a bus pass isn't too much to ask?

I do not object to the passes in principle, just to the problems it has caused in reality. Oddly enough another bus company took over and improved our route, now shock horror people who don't have all day to wait around can rely on it and the original company want it back.

Re: the benefits and tax credits comment: i have hated the time i spent on benefits, unfortunately my twins have ASD and have only now become manageable enough for childcare. My OH lives with me so all we recieve is tax credits and small help with rent (if we had a council house we would be self sufficient, but they were all sold in 'the good old days':rolleyes:)

I would gladly take any job anyone would see fit to offer me, i have applied for everything from part time daytime to nights at mr.Ts and been turned down for the whole lot.

Child tax credits do not cover £160 a month bus fares, sorry they just don't. I'm sure you'll be unhappy to know that i now use less money than that for driving lessons, and i don't think its fair to expect my 5 year olds to walk two miles to school in the chucking down rain, and i resent the whole 'i paid my taxes so your children must sit in total silence' attitude

I don't take up disabled seats, i will always make the children move to the back even if we do have to put up with 15 year olds swearing like troopers in the next seats.

The vast majority of free bus pass users are ok, i have good friends who have them (that's right - in not anti over 30) who don't agree that the system is fair either.

There are just a few who give you all a bad name.

krisskross

delain wrote: »

a
Child tax credits do not cover £160 a month bus fares, sorry they just don't. I'm sure you'll be unhappy to know that i now use less money than that for driving lessons, and i don't think its fair to expect my 5 year olds to walk two miles to school in the chucking down rain, and i resent the whole 'i paid my taxes so your children must sit in total silence' attitude
.

Would bus passes not work out cheaper? Or perhaps a closer school?

Whatever money you use for driving lessons has no bearing on the matter as I assume your driving instructor does not take the children to school so you still have bus fares as wll as driving lessons to pay for.

Jolly decent of you to say you don't dislike all of us who use bus passes. I don't dislike all young mums and their children who use buses either.

EdInvestor

Usually bus passes can't be used before 9am-9.30am so paying workers and children going to schoool should not be encountering pensioners.

delain

krisskross wrote: »

Would bus passes not work out cheaper? Or perhaps a closer school?

Whatever money you use for driving lessons has no bearing on the matter as I assume your driving instructor does not take the children to school so you still have bus fares as wll as driving lessons to pay for.

Jolly decent of you to say you don't dislike all of us who use bus passes. I don't dislike all young mums and their children who use buses either.

I don't 'dislike' anyone except the plastic bag lady and we fell out over something else entirely i was just trying to make my point.

It is allegedly the summer holidays (although no one told the weather) so we have been saving the bus money by doing MSE things at home.;)

There is indeed a closer school, but it is a village school, and has one class per year group.
My twins were in nursery together three days, and one went on a monday, the other on a friday. When they left for school the nursery said if they were in the same class they would not get any sort of an education, as their fixations are much worse when together plus they fought a lot

. So they go to a wonderful school with good support for them (which is a department my local school lacks) and they are in seperate classes, so can't really do much without compromising their education and i'm just not willing to do that, because at the end of the day i put the children first, always.

EdInvestor

Speaking as a frequent bus pass user, one shares the vehicle during the day usually with other pensioners and SAHMs (whether single or marrried) plus their children.

If you looked at a cross section of these two groups one suspects that their consumption of benefits/freebies would not be that different.One lot will be getting child benefit, tax credits etc, and possibly loads more if single (JSA, housing benefit, council tax benefit etc).Possibily the majority will buy their ticket using money from the Government.

The pensioners will be getting the free travel, the winter fuel allowance (the state pension you pay for, it is not a benefit.) Some poorer pensioners may be getting pension credit topup,HB, CTB etc.

Nothing much for either side to feel superior about there.They are in a very similar position.

seven-day-weekend

delain wrote: »

I do not object to the passes in principle, just to the problems it has caused in reality. Oddly enough another bus company took over and improved our route, now shock horror people who don't have all day to wait around can rely on it and the original company want it back.

Re: the benefits and tax credits comment: i have hated the time i spent on benefits, unfortunately my twins have ASD and have only now become manageable enough for childcare. My OH lives with me so all we recieve is tax credits and small help with rent (if we had a council house we would be self sufficient, but they were all sold in 'the good old days':rolleyes:)

I would gladly take any job anyone would see fit to offer me, i have applied for everything from part time daytime to nights at mr.Ts and been turned down for the whole lot.

Child tax credits do not cover £160 a month bus fares, sorry they just don't. I'm sure you'll be unhappy to know that i now use less money than that for driving lessons, and i don't think its fair to expect my 5 year olds to walk two miles to school in the chucking down rain, and i resent the whole 'i paid my taxes so your children must sit in total silence' attitude

I don't take up disabled seats, i will always make the children move to the back even if we do have to put up with 15 year olds swearing like troopers in the next seats.

The vast majority of free bus pass users are ok, i have good friends who have them (that's right - in not anti over 30) who don't agree that the system is fair either.

There are just a few who give you all a bad name.

delain, first of all I must apologise for my previous post, it was very ungracious and I should not have responded as I did, but I was getting quite angry by the attitude that all us seniors are rolling in money and have it easy and people begrudging us a bus pass even though we have 'served our time' in contributing to society. Please accept my apology.

I also had no idea whether you are on benefits or not, that was a general remark and not aimed at you personally.

I also know plenty of people, and some are even friends (!), with small children, and most of them are well behaved and quite human. I also have a son (nearly 30) with Aspergers' Syndrome,( which was not recognised when he was young, so we got no extra help) so do know how 'differently' they can behave.

Can we bury the hatchet? I don't even have a bus pass yet as I'm not 60 until January and at the moment am Spanish Resident!

I agree with Edinvestor's post no 18 above.

delain

absolutely, i was being a bit obnoxious as well, having re read my post.

hatchet buried :beer:

seven-day-weekend

delain wrote: »

absolutely, i was being a bit obnoxious as well, having re read my post.

hatchet buried :beer:

Thank goodness for that!:T:beer: