Free bus pass under threat?

Doc_N

Let's not forget the number of potential votes at stake here. Any party daring to take the free pass away, or cut it back, will have to accept the loss of a massive number of over 60 votes. That's a risk they'd be very brave to take.

Biggles

Doc_N wrote: »

Let's not forget the number of potential votes at stake here. Any party daring to take the free pass away, or cut it back, will have to accept the loss of a massive number of over 60 votes. That's a risk they'd be very brave to take.

That doesn't affect the Labour Party, of course, as they don't have a massive number of over-60 votes to begin with.....

Farway

Biggles wrote: »

That doesn't affect the Labour Party, of course, as they don't have a massive number of over-60 votes to begin with.....

I suspect no party will have it in the manifesto, you may remember the Tories never had "double VAT to 15%" in any manifesto, all about cutting income tax as I recall

You can be sure both parties will spin it, but my money would be on Tories to actually stop or severely limit it, after all it was also the Tories who delinked State Pension from average earnings and tied it to inflation, thus now all pensioners are worse off than they would have been, and to shame of Labour party they have left it a long time to replace the link in the future, which of course Tories may well remove again

Biggles

Some fall on stony ground.....

bloaty

I know quite a number of people who are over 60, still in full-time employment, receiving a free bus pass, no longer required to pay NI and receiving a pension from previous employer.

With this in mind, perhaps it should be means tested.

Something to think about.

Doc_N

bloaty wrote: »

I know quite a number of people who are over 60, still in full-time employment, receiving a free bus pass, no longer required to pay NI and receiving a pension from previous employer.

With this in mind, perhaps it should be means tested.

Something to think about.

Life's full of apparent anomalies. You could means test free eye tests for over 60s as well if you chose too. Or maybe free parking for wealthy disabled people.

But is it really worth all the attendant administrative costs, which would be enormous and wasteful.

In any event, free bus passes are more or less self-limiting, because those with high incomes tend not to use them a great deal - they use their cars, or possibly taxis. So you'd end up with an expensive means testing bureaucracy trying to weed out the people who make least use of the passes - pretty pointless, really.

Any part that tries this on can count on losing large numbers of votes at the next-following general election.

McKneff

krisskross wrote: »

As the very grateful recipient of a bus pass I hope they scrap your tax credits to pay for me to keep it. Unfortunately you appear to think the same as G.Brown that only families matter. Families are well provided for these days, to the detriment of everyone else.

Our bus passes are the only thing we get apart from the SRP we have paid in for with 80 odd years work between us. I'm sure you get far more than us from the welfare system. I do realise they are expensive to provide but we pay full council tax plus income tax on our pensions etc so this is a bit back.

:T I'm 60 in October and cant wait to get mine in my own right,
I am on my husbands as he is disabled but in October i can get on on my own with my very own pass.

scotsbob

Biggles wrote: »

I doubt it. The first I heard on the recent news was when the Welsh said that bus passes must go, the news about English passes cropped up a few days later, so I would think they are all in some doubt.

Why should you doubt me?

Stewart Stevenson has already said
"we intend to augment the free bus travel scheme by extending it to cover disabled ex-servicemen. It is certainly not our intention to impose restrictions or to reduce the concessions that have been made available in the past."

Check the link at the bottom of thepage if you doubt me.
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/sp/?id=2009-04-23.16709.2

McKneff

kittie wrote: »

We have hardly used our bus passes but beieve that their use is abused by some people. Bus passes should stay and they will be staying in wales but their use should be limited to a couple of journeys a week

When we have used them the buses have been half full at most. Pensioners talking about their days at work ie starting work at 15 and working for 50 years or obvious benefit holders who have not contributed a penny to the pot. I know which category has earned the bus pass

In what way do you reckon bus passes are being abused.
If you are over 60 you are entitled to a pass, you can use it 50 times a day if you wish. It is not being abused - if its your entitlement to have one.

scotsbob

McKneff wrote: »

In what way do you reckon bus passes are being abused.

I believe some people have been known to give/hire/sell/lend them to family and neighbours who are not entitled to have one of their own.