People stuck living at home in their 30s, can't afford a home, unable to get about and doing low paid work will probably get mental health problems.
The point is busses are getting increasingly unaffordable, partly due to these free passes.
My friend has to take two busses to get into town, at the cost of 14. This would be the first couple of hours of pay. Her parents both have bus passes but never use them as they have a car.
There is something else in the post that does not ring true your friends parents would not just have been given a their passes they would have had to apply for them and then reapply for them when the passes expired.
Take my Husband he got his TFL freedom pass when he turned 60 in April 2009, he had to physically apply for it filling out a form, showing ID and providing a photo of him self. His card was valid for 2 years
In 2010 we moved to the Isle of Wight and his card was not valid here as its only valid for people with London addresses (although he did use it for a couple for a months before he found that out)
Again he had to apply for a new card, again filling out a form, providing ID and a photo, that card ran out last week and so he had to apply for another one.
So people don't just get one they have to apply and reapply
The nationwide pensioner free bus pass is new end of.
You may say end of but it is not as simple as that, the majority of councils have been providing free bus passes for years, London since 1973, Merseyside since 1988 and so on. The newer national Bus Pass for England was introduced and is valid for off peak travel so the only thing that is newer is the name .
Has the OP told us why exactly they think that fares will be cut if the pensioner bus pass is scrapped? It doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense, which leads me to assume that they simply want to see pensioners kicked, so to speak. I know that young people have suffered most in the last few years under the economic policies of the government etc. but surely that isn't going to be solved by turning the issue into a battle between generations.
Has the OP told us why exactly they think that fares will be cut if the pensioner bus pass is scrapped? It doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense, which leads me to assume that they simply want to see pensioners kicked, so to speak. I know that young people have suffered most in the last few years under the economic policies of the government etc. but surely that isn't going to be solved by turning the issue into a battle between generations.
Just think how well off all these young people will be when the pensioners die off.
Normal bus fares have rocketed since these were introduced. The poorest people in society, the young, are now being priced out of busses. As well as homes and jobs.
.
Just think when pensioners today were young buses were very few and far between, which is why we mostly walked to wherever we wanted to go or we got on our bikes and rode there. Maybe that's something todays young could try.
You don't really believe bus fares will go down if they get rid of concessionary bus passes do you ?
I thought that bus fare increases were mainly caused by such things as rising fuel prices and other operating costs.
If pensioners didn't use buses during the off-peak hours how many services would simply be cut because they weren't economically viable?
I don't think I'd want a service which only ran 1 bus an hour .
Bus service in any direction from my village to the nearest town runs either every hour or every 2 hours :-( In the Summer I go once a week into town and the bus is mainly filled with pensioners, I have often wondered how the bus service would remain economical if these 'bus pass pensioners' didn't use public transport.
Gone are the days when pensioners were the poor people in society. The poorest by far are the young. No jobs, can't afford a house and face working for their entire life.
The people that can least afford the bus end up paying for rich pensioners to use it.
There is no nationwide scheme to get even reduced bus travel for job seakers, outside of London.
Don't you believe it! pensioners who are only in receipt of the State Pension are very poor indeed - they have to survive on around 5k per year. Those without savings get extra benefits, but I do not know how they survive. I took the precaution of saving every penny I could whilst still working and didn't retire until I was 66 as I was afraid of not having a working wage. Arthritis finally stopped me from driving, so I really do rely on public transport.
How do you define need and how do you get an accurate idea of someone's wealth, anyone could simply transfer the money from their bank account to their children's account and say they have insufficient mobey. Is it also right to penalize those who have saved
Anyone who does that is asking for trouble. I know of someone who did that and the child who had the money transferred to their account, spent the lot. >:(
So I take it your friend does not work then? If she did then it would be up to her to look at the price of season tickets for her bus service.
IOW has some of the highest fares in the UK, but even here our 7 day pass costs £24.00 that's a cost of £4.80 per day if using it for 5 days and £3.42 per day if using it for 7 days, an £85 per month pass would cost less per day.
And you know that's what people who work and commute on a regular basis do to get their fares down.
I would suggest she looks up her bus companies fares on line and get the best deal
The friend does work. As its two buses from two different companies its 25 a week for 1 bus pass and 18 for the other bus company.
There is something else in the post that does not ring true your friends parents would not just have been given a their passes they would have had to apply for them and then reapply for them when the passes expired.
Take my Husband he got his TFL freedom pass when he turned 60 in April 2009, he had to physically apply for it filling out a form, showing ID and providing a photo of him self. His card was valid for 2 years
In 2010 we moved to the Isle of Wight and his card was not valid here as its only valid for people with London addresses (although he did use it for a couple for a months before he found that out)
Again he had to apply for a new card, again filling out a form, providing ID and a photo, that card ran out last week and so he had to apply for another one.
So people don't just get one they have to apply and reapply
People don't have to reapply.
They just have to apply once get a five year card, a new one is automatically sent out. As its free they did apply as its handy every so often like when dropping the car off for a mot.
Bus service in any direction from my village to the nearest town runs either every hour or every 2 hours :-( In the Summer I go once a week into town and the bus is mainly filled with pensioners, I have often wondered how the bus service would remain economical if these 'bus pass pensioners' didn't use public transport.
Don't you believe it! pensioners who are only in receipt of the State Pension are very poor indeed - they have to survive on around 5k per year. Those without savings get extra benefits, but I do not know how they survive. I took the precaution of saving every penny I could whilst still working and didn't retire until I was 66 as I was afraid of not having a working wage. Arthritis finally stopped me from driving, so I really do rely on public transport.
I'm inclined to agree with this.
Are they fighting? And making silly remarks negates your argument.
Anyone who does that is asking for trouble. I know of someone who did that and the child who had the money transferred to their account, spent the lot. >:(
Oh please most pensioners these days have a net worth and lifestyle that the majority people below 30 can only dream of.
Didn't retire until your 66, weren't you lucky young people now won't retire until their 80s.
Oh please most pensioners these days have a net worth and lifestyle that the majority people below 30 can only dream of.
Didn't retire until your 66, weren't you lucky young people now won't retire until their 80s.
Well I've got some relatives who are pensioners and they are really struggling. If it wasn't for the concessionary travel pass, they would never get anywhere.
Ian.
They just have to apply once. As its free they did apply as its handy every so often like when dropping the car off for a mot.
So the only time it cost money is when it is used, who tends to have the better health, the young or the old who most of the time can walk with no problems, who are mostly to be able to ride a bike, the young or old. You will find alot of the older people rode to work on a push bike, did not have the luxury of cars.
Well I've got some relatives who are pensioners and they are really struggling. If it wasn't for the concessionary travel pass, they would never get anywhere.
Ian.
Well I know people in their 20s that are really really struggling still living and home and with expensive travel costs they rarely get anywhere.
Oh please most pensioners these days have a net worth and lifestyle that the majority people below 30 can only dream of.
Didn't retire until your 66, weren't you lucky young people now won't retire until their 80s.
And the young have a better life style now, than the old ever did at your age. Are you going to blame the pensioners for all the ills of the world, are they living to long for your liking
Well most baby boomers are taking out more than they contributed to the system.
So are you saying they don't get what they deserve. Also don't forget alot of the pensioners who are alive today fought for their country during the Second World War and they all deserve the help they get.
Ian.
Well I know people in their 20s that are really really struggling still living and home and with expensive travel costs they rarely get anywhere.
Most young people could walk miles with no problems, but could most of the pensioners. Get a push bike like most of the pensioners did when they were your age
So are you saying they don't get what they deserve. Also don't forget alot of the pensioners who are alive today fought for their country during the Second World War and they all deserve the help they get.
Ian.
Statistically boomers are taking out far more than they ever contributed. In case you didn't know boomers were born after the war...
Statistically boomers are taking out far more than they ever contributed. In case you didn't know boomers were born after the war...
Well I've got a relative who died during the Second World War and could have been alive today who fought for people's freedom like yours today and I've also got two relatives who are survivors of the war and are thankful for all the help they get.
Ian.
Comments
There is something else in the post that does not ring true your friends parents would not just have been given a their passes they would have had to apply for them and then reapply for them when the passes expired.
Take my Husband he got his TFL freedom pass when he turned 60 in April 2009, he had to physically apply for it filling out a form, showing ID and providing a photo of him self. His card was valid for 2 years
In 2010 we moved to the Isle of Wight and his card was not valid here as its only valid for people with London addresses (although he did use it for a couple for a months before he found that out)
Again he had to apply for a new card, again filling out a form, providing ID and a photo, that card ran out last week and so he had to apply for another one.
So people don't just get one they have to apply and reapply
You may say end of but it is not as simple as that, the majority of councils have been providing free bus passes for years, London since 1973, Merseyside since 1988 and so on. The newer national Bus Pass for England was introduced and is valid for off peak travel so the only thing that is newer is the name .
Just think how well off all these young people will be when the pensioners die off.
Oh wait.....!
Just think when pensioners today were young buses were very few and far between, which is why we mostly walked to wherever we wanted to go or we got on our bikes and rode there. Maybe that's something todays young could try.
You don't really believe bus fares will go down if they get rid of concessionary bus passes do you ?
Don't you believe it! pensioners who are only in receipt of the State Pension are very poor indeed - they have to survive on around 5k per year. Those without savings get extra benefits, but I do not know how they survive. I took the precaution of saving every penny I could whilst still working and didn't retire until I was 66 as I was afraid of not having a working wage. Arthritis finally stopped me from driving, so I really do rely on public transport.
I'm inclined to agree with this. Are they fighting? And making silly remarks negates your argument.
Anyone who does that is asking for trouble.
The friend does work. As its two buses from two different companies its 25 a week for 1 bus pass and 18 for the other bus company.
People don't have to reapply.
They just have to apply once get a five year card, a new one is automatically sent out. As its free they did apply as its handy every so often like when dropping the car off for a mot.
Oh please most pensioners these days have a net worth and lifestyle that the majority people below 30 can only dream of.
Didn't retire until your 66, weren't you lucky young people now won't retire until their 80s.
Well I've got some relatives who are pensioners and they are really struggling. If it wasn't for the concessionary travel pass, they would never get anywhere.
Ian.
So the only time it cost money is when it is used, who tends to have the better health, the young or the old who most of the time can walk with no problems, who are mostly to be able to ride a bike, the young or old. You will find alot of the older people rode to work on a push bike, did not have the luxury of cars.
Well I know people in their 20s that are really really struggling still living and home and with expensive travel costs they rarely get anywhere.
Struggling is not confined to any one particular age group and never has been.
And under 30's these days live a lifestyle that many of today's pensioners would have loved to have lived when they were under 30. ;-)
Well most of the pensioners have worked hard all their lives and they deserve what they get when they retire.
Ian.
That's the point I've been making.
Well most baby boomers are taking out more than they contributed to the system.
And the young have a better life style now, than the old ever did at your age. Are you going to blame the pensioners for all the ills of the world, are they living to long for your liking
maybe you think you have but it comes across more as though pensioners are harming everyone by getting free off peak bus travel and are all loaded.
So are you saying they don't get what they deserve. Also don't forget alot of the pensioners who are alive today fought for their country during the Second World War and they all deserve the help they get.
Ian.
Most young people could walk miles with no problems, but could most of the pensioners. Get a push bike like most of the pensioners did when they were your age
Its not always free off peak, most councils have it anytime.
Well it is harming other people that have to pay higher taxes and bus fares in order to pay for all this free travel that is unaffordable.
What's wrong with wanting a fairer society where governments don't pander to the grey vote while screwing the young?
Statistically boomers are taking out far more than they ever contributed. In case you didn't know boomers were born after the war...
Ian.
Says who ?