MSE News: Jobseekers encouraged to get 50% off...

Former_MSE_Callum

If you're on jobseeker's allowance or job hunting and claiming universal credit you may be able to get a free railcard from the jobcentre which gives 50% off many rail tickets, thanks to a little-known discount scheme...

Read the full story:
'Jobseekers encouraged to get 50% off railcard'

Click reply below to discuss. If you haven't already, join the forum to reply.

PasturesNew

Trains are too expensive for jobseekers.... they're on the dole, they're not going anywhere.... they're staying in, watching daytime TV and ekeing out their dole money to splash out on beans on toast. They're not out daytripping and travelling!

They're also not looking further afield for jobs as they can't afford the rail fares in advance of being paid a month later.

Outside of London few use trains because they're expensive and never go where you want to go .... and I'd never heard of the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card, and I doubt many people ever had. Never seen it mentioned on the Benefits Boards here.

VT82

PasturesNew wrote: »

Outside of London few use trains because they're expensive and never go where you want to go.

This, times a million. What bizarre logic to try and broaden the use of rail by people who clearly don't need it. It's like trying to target more people to use ferries to get about in England because at the moment ferry use is overly concentrated in the Scottish isles!

Midnighter

PasturesNew wrote: »

Outside of London few use trains because they're expensive and never go where you want to go .... and I'd never heard of the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card, and I doubt many people ever had. Never seen it mentioned on the Benefits Boards here.

I had one years ago, but was told it had been discontinued by.... the local Job Centre!

dekaspace

PasturesNew wrote: »

Trains are too expensive for jobseekers.... they're on the dole, they're not going anywhere.... they're staying in, watching daytime TV and ekeing out their dole money to splash out on beans on toast. They're not out daytripping and travelling!

They're also not looking further afield for jobs as they can't afford the rail fares in advance of being paid a month later.

Outside of London few use trains because they're expensive and never go where you want to go .... and I'd never heard of the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card, and I doubt many people ever had. Never seen it mentioned on the Benefits Boards here.

I have known about if for years but its near impossible to get, it gives half price trains around the UK, and certain regional buses.


Problem I was told is despite being on work related disability benefits I wasn't active with a job club like Ingeus thus inelligble, even the staff I originally asked knew nothing about me telling me it doesn't exist.

VT82 wrote: »

This, times a million. What bizarre logic to try and broaden the use of rail by people who clearly don't need it. It's like trying to target more people to use ferries to get about in England because at the moment ferry use is overly concentrated in the Scottish isles!

Job interviews, training courses, volunteer work, job clubs its useful as sometimes trains with this can cost less than a bus, and take half or less the time.

Pennywise

PasturesNew wrote: »

Outside of London few use trains because they're expensive and never go where you want to go

Have to agree with that. I'd love to use the trains more as I'm a closet trainspotter, but however hard I try, I find them virtually impossible to use. I regularly travel from one northern city to another to see a client. By train, total journey takes 3 hours inc driving to station (no bus early enough to connect with first train of the day) and taxi at other end (no bus from station to industrial estate). By car it's 90 minutes inc a break. By train, it's a slow, drafty uncomfortable Pacer for most of the journey. Cost of petrol used is half the price of the train fare. Coming home, I have to leave mid afternoon to get the last train, whereas with the car I can make a full working day of it. The reason people don't use trains as much outside London is the poor provision not because of not knowing about rail cards. I'm sure overall passenger numbers are far higher in London too - simply because the services are far better due to be showered with public money.

Pennywise

dekaspace wrote: »

Job interviews, training courses, volunteer work, job clubs its useful as sometimes trains with this can cost less than a bus, and take half or less the time.

Not if you don't live near a station. Outside London far fewer people live near railway stations. To avoid driving into our nearest city, 5 miles south, I'd have to go 5 miles North to catch the train (once every 2 hours) to go 10 miles south. Obviously, it's not something anyone would do. It's quicker, easier and cheaper just to go directly by car or bus.

Where I used to live, I worked in the next town 20 miles away. To use the train, it was 2 hours and 2 changes at stations as there were no direct trains (both towns were on branch lines off the main line). By car it was 30 minutes. No brainer.

Trains only work for very long distance journeys or for densely populated or city centre areas. Huge areas have poor train services and only really usable for commuting for the relative few living near stations.

dekaspace

Pennywise wrote: »

Not if you don't live near a station. Outside London far fewer people live near railway stations. To avoid driving into our nearest city, 5 miles south, I'd have to go 5 miles North to catch the train (once every 2 hours) to go 10 miles south. Obviously, it's not something anyone would do. It's quicker, easier and cheaper just to go directly by car or bus.

Where I used to live, I worked in the next town 20 miles away. To use the train, it was 2 hours and 2 changes at stations as there were no direct trains (both towns were on branch lines off the main line). By car it was 30 minutes. No brainer.

Trains only work for very long distance journeys or for densely populated or city centre areas. Huge areas have poor train services and only really usable for commuting for the relative few living near stations.

Well duh but whey even mention that as it feels like arguing for arguing sake.


At my last town it was 1 hour to Glasgow by train 1 by bus (though bus was always delayed) train like £7 return bus like £12 return and if anything as it was a "express" bus it didn't stop many places and the reason it took so long was it went through another town adding 20 minutes before going onto dual carriageway, during rush hour took as much as 1 hour 40 minutes, train still took 55 minutes.


I come from a small town and trains only had 1 line for each direction, so yes I know about transport.


Where I live now it takes 1 hour 45 minutes to go 25 miles, 1 hour to go 6 miles, 1 hour to go 10 miles, you get the point because the buses go through all the housing estates, by busy motorways, and trains even though you have to change take a fraction of the time, something that would take at least 30 minutes by bus without factoring in rush hour, 5 minutes.


Why even bring in the car when its JOBSEEKERS you know people who don't have much money as they don't work?


And I did say sometimes, but the difference between bus and train is even with delays they are not held up with rush hour traffic.


Im sure the jobcentre who want someone to go for a interview 50 miles away are expecting the person to go by train rather than spend all day by bus, to put it into context I know places that to go 40 miles takes 2-4 hours by bus and just over a hour by train, again with train either costing less or the same.


Everywheres different but if you have the choice of the train its often faster.

Kathleen24

I would feel embarassed to ask because you only get it under certain conditions and certain jobcentres from what I've read they obviously don't want to give them to people and government would have us all skivvying for 5 quid an hour if they could but they stick you in the system instead even if you are intelligent etc or very experienced whilst people who have just arrived here are doing all dodgy dealings whilst claiming and getting away with it because people are afraid of reporting them due to racism etcetc

pmduk

I spent ages trying to get one a few years back, my jobcentre denied their existence.

paragp

Hi there, can anybody tell me if this is still valid. I got a "discount" card today but its only valid on TFL Buses and Trams and not the underground. The jobcenter plus have told me this is the only one they have to give out. Has Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount card been discountinued? thank you