universal credit - are the current travel expenses outdated?

TELLIT01

ruspj said:

thanks NedS but i dont think the 25p is just meant to cover fuel costs.

if they are demanding that i take extra journeys shouldnt they be covering the full cost per mile of keeping a car on the road such as contributing towards brakes, tyres, and other neccesary maintenance.

unsure if it is meant to contribute towards the cost of tax and insuranceas these do not increase with additional miles.

if i was getting busses their costs would have also been incresing over time and they would have no issue paying the full ticket price not just an estimate of how much of this contributes towards fueling the bus.

They are not going to cover the full cost of running a car, it's really that simple.  When I had to use my car for business purposes 20 years ago the maximum rate permitted by HMRC was 45p per mile.  Current permitted rate - 45p per mile.

I'm not sure if DWP will refund travel costs for standard visits to the JobCentre, but they should cover much of the cost for travelling to interview.  That would be petrol cost, not total running costs of the car.  The recent price hike in fuel cost almost certainly means they won't even cover the full petrol cost as that figure is set, at best, on an annual basis.

ruspj

if i got a bus they wouldnt only cover a portion of the ticket classed as fuel. they would completely cover the cost of travel including all the cost of keeping a bus on the road and the bus companies profit.

when the milage rate was set it was intended to completely cover the cost of travel

i know i cannot claim for the official fortnightly visits but even job centre employees accept that they completely cover all the cost of travel to any additional appointments but the prices used are 15 years out of date.

tomtom256

ruspj said:

if i got a bus they wouldnt only cover a portion of the ticket classed as fuel. they would completely cover the cost of travel including all the cost of keeping a bus on the road and the bus companies profit.

when the milage rate was set it was intended to completely cover the cost of travel

i know i cannot claim for the official fortnightly visits but even job centre employees accept that they completely cover all the cost of travel to any additional appointments but the prices used are 15 years out of date.

Correct, they pay the cost of the return travel, be that a day rider or 2 singles etc. Are you saying that you would rather they only covered 25p of every public transport journey you took, instead? Really would mean they couldn't win.

The Flexible Support Fund, has very specific elgibility criteria on when an award must be paid and when it's at a coaches discretion, inlcuding what can actually be awarded. There is no discretion on amounts where travel is involved.

If using your own private motor vehicle, the cost is capped at 25p per mile, but if using public transport, they will cover the whole journey, it really is as simple as that.

You might not like the rules, but they are set within legislation, so the only way to change them would be to get your MP to make a challenge.

You could get a travel card to get a discount on public transport if you wanted, so speak with your work coach and then you can save on the running costs and not use your own car.

arnoldy

i am unsure when they set travel expenses to 25p/mile 

I can't believe the system is that generous when people on minimum wage (who have to turn up 5 times a week - on minimum wage) get 0.

If you walk in a couple of miles you get 50p each way?! Astonishing.

sammyjammy

arnoldy said:

i am unsure when they set travel expenses to 25p/mile 

I can't believe the system is that generous when people on minimum wage (who have to turn up 5 times a week - on minimum wage) get 0.

If you walk in a couple of miles you get 50p each way?! Astonishing.

Don't be silly of course you don't get it for walking.  These are people living on minimal money.

TELLIT01

arnoldy said:

i am unsure when they set travel expenses to 25p/mile 

I can't believe the system is that generous when people on minimum wage (who have to turn up 5 times a week - on minimum wage) get 0.

If you walk in a couple of miles you get 50p each way?! Astonishing.

The only people who would be expected to attend the JobCentre on a daily basis are those who have repeatedly failed to comply with the requirements of receiving UC. 

kaMelo

TELLIT01 said:

arnoldy said:

i am unsure when they set travel expenses to 25p/mile 

I can't believe the system is that generous when people on minimum wage (who have to turn up 5 times a week - on minimum wage) get 0.

If you walk in a couple of miles you get 50p each way?! Astonishing.

The only people who would be expected to attend the JobCentre on a daily basis are those who have repeatedly failed to comply with the requirements of receiving UC. 

I think, rather than travelling to a JC 5 days a week, they were referring to people turning up to work 5 days a week, earning minimum wage and no help towards travel costs.