Bus pass discrimination

[Paulus]

Oh the irony. The German state run railway company running British privatised bus and railway companies.

 

[oldwheels]

Don’t the Scots pay higher taxes too?
It’s not discrimination, it’s democracy.

Not well up on taxation but I believe the higher tax only applies to higher earners and lower earners pay less. The Tory propaganda machine would have you believe we all pay more tax which is not true.

 

[Blue Hills]

The Arriva buses near me are super, 3 buses per hour into town, generally on time too, although I've had the odd one fail to turn up.

Can I ask a favour though while we're on the subject.... could you oldies from outside the county please just do all of the fare paying passengers a service, and avoid that first one after 0930?
What is it about the first available bus that means that the near dead *must* be on it? You have all day with sod all to do for God's sake! You're on the first bus, filling every seat, you get into town when half the shops haven't even opened, then you mill around looking bewildered for an hour before heading back home again with your bit of ham from Tesco.
I'll say it again, (because you're deaf).... You. Have. all. Day. To. Go. Into. Town.
So stop getting on the first bus and filling it with people stinking of lavender and eau de Brylcreem, you old gits.

don't know where you are but shops in civilisation are usually open by 9.30.
they go early because in many places the last bus is early.
wouldn't you?
Many are also doubtless early risers.
and so what if it's just a trip out to pick up whatever?
the free bus pass was one of the few indisputably good things blair did,
He did his best to continue the tory farkedupness of the railways.

 

[Blue Hills]

@Accy cyclist
It's because when nationwide the free bus pass age went up from 60 the london government, under boris at the time i think, decided to plug the gap until the national scheme kicked in again at the new increased age.
It's actually worse than you think - londoners also get free train, tube and tram travel over a vast area - well beyond the city limits.
until the recent emergency post covid deal with transport for london, there wasn't even a morning time restriction on many of the services, including a fair few train lines. None at all on buses.
And London was effectively exempted from Thatcher's bus deregulation in the first place.
The worst that ever happened was that, for a brief time, some bus routes didn't have red buses.
It is true - Londoners are spoilt for transport.
While in the north many places are now cut off or have very minimal bus connections that are a sick joke.
And where there are buses, northerners pay substantially more than londoners for their bus travel - again thanks to Thatcher and her ilk.

Two pics.
very common now in many parts of the north are similar heritage bus stops.
And this isn't even out in the "sticks".
Quite close to the centre of Colne.

 

[Juan Kog]

Oh the irony. The German state run railway company running British privatised bus and railway companies.

I’m sure Allan in Aylesbury is quite happy that his overpriced season ticket is subsidising Helmut in Hamburg.

 

[Blue Hills]

Leaving aside @Roger Longbottom's point that this works both ways, and generally it's the other three nations that have had the rough end, it would seem that the result of what you're advocating is a centrally planned system where the state owns everything and everyone gets exactly the same. Anything else would be "discriminatory."

This was tried on a vast scale in the 20th century and it didn't work very well.

If you want England to benefit from the same policies as Scotland, Wales and NI, then you need to get people to vote for a government that will make things like bus passes a priority, or alternatively some form of federal system so things are decided on a more local basis. As English people seem to be dead against either, maybe moving to Scotland, Wales or NI would be an alternative...

I think you are missing the point that many northern administrations are starved of funds, whatever their political complection.
Lancashire county council have slashed bus subsidies, and hence bus services, over the last few years.
I no more blame them for this than the BBC for starting to charge most over 75s for the TV licence.
It's a stitch up by a national tory government.

 

[swee'pea99]

If it eases the pain, the concession's being withdrawn in London too - my mate who's a couple of years older than me has a Freedom Pass, I miss the cutoff by a few months, which means I won't get one till I'm three years older than he is now.

 

[Blue Hills]

If it eases the pain, the concession's being withdrawn in London too - my mate who's a couple of years older than me has a Freedom Pass, I miss the cutoff by a few months, which means I won't get one till I'm three years older than he is now.

??

Don't understand.
see above.
londoners get free travel at 60 unless I've missed something.
They don't have to wait for the Freedom Pass.
If I remember the only difference between the two is that the Freedom Pass gives you national free bus travel.
But as above the london free area is massive.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

don't know where you are but shops in civilisation are usually open by 9.30.

A market town in Hertfordshire. Some shops (usually the chains) are open by 0930, some of the independents not until as late as 11.

they go early because in many places the last bus is early

I'm not sure what that means? Do you mean the last bus might be at 0930? If so, great, no problem, but here the buses are every 20 minutes, all day long, until well into the evening. It's here I'm talking about, not somewhere else with the one bus a day problem.

wouldn't you?

No, I wouldn't. There are what, 30 different buses all through the day which I could get into town, I wouldn't feel the need to be on the first one that my pass qualified me for.

Many are also doubtless early risers.

They could well be up at 0600, or 0400, or at 11 the previous evening for all it matters, but that doesn't mean they *must* be on that 0930 bus. There's another at 0950. And another at 1010, and so on. What time they woke up isn't germane to the discussion. They have literally all day to spend in town if they want to.

and so what if it's just a trip out to pick up whatever?

So what indeed. I don't care what it's for, I recognise the need for retirees to get out and about and I'm with them on that. I'm asking why it has to be at that one specific bus. They have all day to potter in town.

I'm always ribbing my Mother in Law about it, she's one of those who's from out of county and she actually panics if she thinks she might miss the first bus. I point out there's another in 20 minutes and she says "that misses half the day". Then when she does catch the first one, she's back 90 minutes later and bored for the rest of the day. I've never been able to get my head around it.
Personally, when I retire I'm looking forward to going in the afternoon, pottering for an hour in town, then going to the pub.

 

[snorri]

Yes it is! Discrimination against people who live in England! A supposed 'British' government allows parts of Britain benefits other parts aren't allowed. That's discriminating as far as I'm concerned.

Why don't you argue for devolution of powers from Westminster to an English parliament like those in other countries of the UK have done?
Isn't it time you lot stood on your own feet as you have distanced yourselves politically from the rest of the UK?

 

[Blue Hills]

A market town in Hertfordshire. Some shops (usually the chains) are open by 0930, some of the independents not until as late as 11.

I'm not sure what that means? Do you mean the last bus might be at 0930? If so, great, no problem, but here the buses are every 20 minutes, all day long, until well into the evening. It's here I'm talking about, not somewhere else with the one bus a day problem.

No, I wouldn't. There are what, 30 different buses all through the day which I could get into town, I wouldn't feel the need to be on the first one that my pass qualified me for.

They could well be up at 0600, or 0400, or at 11 the previous evening for all it matters, but that doesn't mean they *must* be on that 0930 bus. There's another at 0950. And another at 1010, and so on. What time they woke up isn't germane to the discussion. They have literally all day to spend in town if they want to.

So what indeed. I don't care what it's for, I recognise the need for retirees to get out and about and I'm with them on that. I'm asking why it has to be at that one specific bus. They have all day to potter in town.

I'm always ribbing my Mother in Law about it, she's one of those who's from out of county and she actually panics if she thinks she might miss the first bus. I point out there's another in 20 minutes and she says "that misses half the day". Then when she does catch the first one, she's back 90 minutes later and bored for the rest of the day. I've never been able to get my head around it.
Personally, when I retire I'm looking forward to going in the afternoon, pottering for an hour in town, then going to the pub.

Clearly with that bus service you are in a bit of the lucky south.
Thank your lucky stars.
Give the old folks a break.
If they all pile on that bus and there are so many others, should be easy enough for you to avoid them if it bothers you.
Freedom for all.

 

[Archie_tect]

Why don't you argue for devolution of powers from Westminster to an English parliament like those in other countries of the UK have done?
Isn't it time you lot stood on your own feet as you have distanced yourselves politically from the rest of the UK?

I wouldn't trust the English electorate to vote for anything requiring a social conscience which promotes supporting the vulnerable and less well off or for anything achieving a balanced society. for the public good... we'd never be anything other than a Tory fiefdom... all thanks to privatisation, Brexit and the little Englander mentality.

 

[swee'pea99]

??

Don't understand.
see above.
londoners get free travel at 60 unless I've missed something.

You have:

'If'. He was, I wasn't.



Actually I'm not that bothered at the moment, 'cos I rarely go anywhere but on foot or by bike. But I may need to before I'm 67. I'm already waiting for a hip replacement. But the bottom line is that he got one, at 60, whereas I, who missed that 'deadline' by eight months, will now not be eligible till I'm approaching (rather to my surprise - I'd thought I'd lost five years) 67. Here are the exact numbers:

That's a massive loss to a generation. Freedom Pass. For once, aptly named. Gone, for, in my case, nearly seven years.

Some poor sods will have missed the deadline by a day.

 

[Blue Hills]

You have:

View attachment 545073

'If'. He was, I wasn't.



Actually I'm not that bothered at the moment, 'cos I rarely go anywhere but on foot or by bike. But I may need to before I'm 67. I'm already waiting for a hip replacement. But the bottom line is that he got one, at 60, whereas I, who missed that 'deadline' by eight months, will now not be eligible till I'm approaching (rather to my surprise - I'd thought I'd lost five years) 67. Here are the exact numbers:

View attachment 545075

That's a massive loss to a generation. Freedom Pass. For once, aptly named. Gone, for, in my case, nearly seven years.

Some poor sods will have missed the deadline by a day.

But you said the concession was being withdrawn in london sweatpea.

If so, news to me.

Yes, the freedom pass age has gone up.

But acky was referring to free bus travel (plus, though he was maybe unaware, also train, tram, tube) - You get this at 60 in London.

The freedom pass at 60 WAS withdrawn along with the rest of the country, it is not BEING withdrawn.

But there is free travel for londoners at 60.

which was accy's point.

 

[Drago]

But it is not something that the British government has any say in as it is obviously a devolved matter.
Perhaps instead you should be campaigning for equality and the establishmemt of a devolved English government, which you could then persuade to provide you with a free bus pass.

Hold on. Devolve powers to England, so England can subsidise England to provide free [insert item of interest here] to the English?