As in a similar way to jobseeker's allowance or employment support allowance etc?

Yes, I do.

I concur!!!!

Tax payers are expected to carry everyone

No, I consider it a concession.

No, it's not.

That said, I personally can't see a problem with charging a nominal fee for it each year, either for everyone or for everyone who qualifies for one who isn't over retirement age.

Doesn't have to be huge - £10-£20 quid a year, something like that, but it can be something to go towards the overall cost of it.

no it`s not benefit, it has nowt to do with the dwp nor income.

No more than a child's fare.

Getting anything for less than the standard price as a result of a subsidy from the tax payer is a benefit. Nothing wrong with it mind you, but that's what it is.

Yes, same as something like child benefit.

Why should those over retirement age receive one for free, while those who are disabled should have to pay?
Either free for everyone that qualifies, or a nominal fee for all.

Can't disabled people can get mobility benefit though?

That would be towards a car if they can drive, there would also be the extra cost to a disabled person for having to rely on an escort/carer/companion.

I think mobility benefit is paid for the above reason, the extra costs incurred due to having reduced/no mobility.
If not, then its paid because of their lack of mobility. ?

Those over retirement age also receive those benefits too.

Some disabled people get a free bus pass too.

And not all of us get mobility benefit.

I did say "either" for everyone or for everyone who qualifies for one. I thought that was clear.

My local council provide a long list of qualifying criteria and I don't doubt that some may find some of these criteria unimportant.

The Benefits of concessionary passes.

Concessionary passes are OF benefit because its aim is to improve social inclusion amongst the elderly & those who are disabled.

Concessionary passes are OF benefit because they contribute towards public health & well being associated with more active lifestyles.

For every £1 spent on concessionary pass, it generates £2.87 in benefits.

They are popular & successful, 12 million holders make 1.2 billion journeys.

They enable those who are elderly or disabled, especially those on very low incomes to continue to use public transport & to use it more often, improving their access to basic necessities such as to the shops, for healthcare, & to reduce isolation.
The pass gives them more independence to visit family & friends, to access outside their local area.

The Freedom Pass in London is for over a certain age and disabled. It shows up when people tap their card on the reader. I sometimes feel like I'm the only person paying for the bus.

Children travel free in London too.

I find it hard to believe you are left to feel that way, when most adult Londoners, who aren't either elderly or disabled have paid to top up their Oyster cards for their travel.

Unless that is, if you live in an area with an elderly majority?

Most people in London get in the exit door to avoid paying!

A bus pass there is worth it's weight in gold and probably in Greater Manchester too where you can use the trams. where I live there are so few buses the only use for the card is to use it to scrape ice of your car windscreen.

Every one pays some form of tax. And does having a bus pass mean you dont work ? And saying everyone can have a bus pass when they reach a certain age. https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rc...XOrKYou5ihGmgw

The NHS is a form of benefit. Most public spending is.

You could only say it's not welfare if it's for the greater good, like road maintenance.

I misread the question. I thought you were asking if we thought people on benefits should get a concessionary bus pass which I do. If people are sick or disabled they should be able to travel free. Many go to see hospital doctors, psychiatrists or whatever and should get a free bus pass. Also people on Job Seekers Allowance should get a free bus pass to look for work or to top up their education to help get a job. Do I think it is classed as being part of benefits, maybe, it depends how it would be funded.

Of course it's a benefit.

But it does not appear in any benefit agency budget. Are bus and train subsidies classed as a benefit to the private sector who run the buses and trains ?

Student discounts - available all over the place. Not a benefit either but a concession.

It's only if I travel off commuter times.


Only on certain routes. There was one bus that runs round my way that was known as "the free bus". I was quite happy for it to exist as it kept the more unsavoury types off the rest of us. Ticket inspectors have clamped down on it; I can't see the point really when so many people are travelling free anyway and it makes the journeys nicer for those who choose to avoid the "free" line.


Travel passes are paid for by the local authority. I don't know enough about the budgets to know if anything is specifically allocated to cover it but I wouldn't be surprised if it isn't. Central government is pretty disingenuous when it comes to identifying what money is required where.