Please Stop Using Bus Passes - Transport Secretary

Soubrette

I do not think it is very practical for any MP to call on people to give up what they are entitled to.

I do think that free bus passes may be a luxury we can't afford at the moment (in the same vein as reducing housing benefit, child tax credit to richer families etc).

Pensioners incomes are already means tested aren't they? You only get the pension top up if you are on a low income so all the Government need do is link a free bus pass to that if they so wished - very little extra admin costs.

Universal benefits are a pain in the a imo - we all pay taxes (unless you don't spend or have any kind of income) and all universal benefits (or concessions) mean is that we pay taxes, the government takes a proportion of these taxes, takes a big fat admin charge and returns a smaller amount back to the public.

I'd rather we all paid less taxes and if people wanted to pay for a bus pass with the extra, fair enough. If people wanted to subsidise their car - fair enough again.

It should be up to us what we spend our money on, we should not have our money returned to us in a form where we have no choice as to what to spend it on less a big chunk gone to bolster the civil service.

As you can probably tell, I'm big on personal responsibility

Sou

Errata

The difficulty with a linking a free pass to, say, pension credit is that half of all pensioners are claiming pension credit so the savings wouldn't be that significant.

seven-day-weekend

pollypenny wrote: »

Someone on Radio 2 was complaining about pensioners using their passes to go into town and meet for a coffee - ie not essential shopping!

Tough! If a bus pass means that some old people are not stuck in the house, hardly seeing a soul, that's a plus!

We go into town a couple of times a month, have lunch ( using a voucher) and invariably buy something. All helps the economy.

I have applied for my bus pass a month ago and am patiently waiting its arrival (should be with me next week, say Centro).

When it comes I will use it. And I will not use it just for 'essential shopping' (I do that with the car). I shall use it simply to ride on the bus and go to places I've not been before. AND I will use it to meet my friends for coffee.

I have never claimed a State benefit in my life (other than the universal Child Benefit), have paid in all my NI and I don't see why I shouldn't enjoy one of the few 'perks' for living long enough to be considered ancient.

Anyone who thinks otherwise can go and kiss their own backsides.

:beer:

lilac_lady

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

Anyone who thinks otherwise can go and kiss their own backsides.

:beer:

They'll have to take up yoga! Wonder if the class will be free?

margaretclare

I agree with Soubrette above, especially about personal responsibility.

Before the free bus passes, we used to have a half-fare concession for which we paid £12 a year to the local authority. I was quite happy with that. Even so, I maybe used it half-a-dozen times in about 10 years. DH used his a bit more when he worked in a call-centre, especially when he did late shifts finishing at 11 pm. Catching the bus was just more convenient, the bus stop was outside his office, and it left the car at home for me.

tanith

Make the most of your Bus Passes whilst you still have them cos mark my words it won't be long before this governement takes them away... just like the free swimming for under 16's and over 60's

mjm3346

tanith wrote: »

Make the most of your Bus Passes whilst you still have them cos mark my words it won't be long before this governement takes them away... just like the free swimming for under 16's and over 60's

Cannot see them scrapping it any time soon.

From the coalition agreement

We will protect key benefits for older people
such as the winter fuel allowance, free TV
licences, free bus travel, and free eye tests and
prescriptions.

snugglepet20

For goodness sake what's next! Pick on the old people, the disabled and the poor they are easy targets. No mention of making the banks pay back their bailouts or politicians bringing their own lunch to work like the rest of us. Pensioners get out there and enjoy your life, go to the seaside, into town or wherever you feel like, don't let some rich politician and a miserable old cow on the radio make you feel guilty. Until the fat cats at the top cut back no-one else should have to.
P.S I'm 27 and they will probably be killing us off at 65 to save money!

WASHER

I for one would like to see the bus pass means tested. I live in a rural town between two seaside resorts, in the summer holidays when the children are off school, you cannot get on a bus for love nor money, it is full of pensioners using the free bus passes, and if you are lucky enough to get on, you have to stand with two children, even though you have paid £12.50 for a return ticket for one adult and 2 children.

I see some of the same pensioners at the bus stop three or four times a week going out just for the ride, the bus journey in total is 2.5 hours, they get to the destination and catch the next bus back, they are not helping the economy, nor the bus company as paying passengers cannot get on.

seven-day-weekend

WASHER wrote: »

I for one would like to see the bus pass means tested. I live in a rural town between two seaside resorts, in the summer holidays when the children are off school, you cannot get on a bus for love nor money, it is full of pensioners using the free bus passes, and if you are lucky enough to get on, you have to stand with two children, even though you have paid £12.50 for a return ticket for one adult and 2 children.

I see some of the same pensioners at the bus stop three or four times a week going out just for the ride, the bus journey in total is 2.5 hours, they get to the destination and catch the next bus back, they are not helping the economy, nor the bus company as paying passengers cannot get on.

And the problem is?

As for pensioners using the bus in holiday times, well don't you think that THEY have had to pay all their lives, same as you? They haven't always been that age you know.

I am 60 and STILL paying £3.40 return trip (and I only go four stops :eek:) as my bus pass hasn't come yet.

Also I don't think your Child Benefit is means-tested is it? Why don't you give that up to help the economy if you can afford to do without it? It's about £35 a week for two children, isn't it? More than enough to pay the bus fare. And anyway, in my day, children stood up to offer pensioners and other adults their seats on the bus.