A certain Mr Brown made great play of announcing free bus travel for senior citizens in a speech to the nation, but did he really play such a blinder?
Merseyside, where I live, has had free bus, train and ferry travel for many, many years for women of 60 and over and men of 65 onwards - three years ago the scheme was rightfully extended to men of 60 and over following extensive protests on equality grounds.
The area covered ranges from the boundary with Lancashire (which has half-price fares IIRC) in the north down through Merseyside and across the Wirral, with train journeys being possible right into Chester.
It's most valuable for short trips, especially into the town centre, as I can leave the car at home as well as save on parking fees.
That saves me 95p each way on a short bus journey and, when used to visit my club, the ticket savings translate into a pint of Guinness...:-)
If I didn't have a car - and I have no intention of giving up the freedom to go where I want, when I want by disposing of its use - I've estimated that if I used public transport on a regular basis, I would be reimbursed with my annual council tax payment and more.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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I don't know the facts for the whole of England, but the situation in Merseyside certainly seems better than over here on the other side of the Pennines and I think Mr Brown wanted some consistency.
All pensioners pay in West Yorkshire - admittedly only 25p per journey, but they can only get this fare after 9.30am. This is to be increased to 30p, but the 9.30am rule will be dropped.
Mr Brown has brought England in line with Scotland and Wales, both of whose assemblies brought this concession in almost as soon as they were formed.
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Comment from my Mother, who lives in a small village in Northamptonshire, on hearing she would now get free bus travel.
'But there ent no buses anymore'.
(Bus service to this village stopped 5+ years ago).
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>>I think Mr Brown wanted some consistency.>>
More likely a bribe for the elderly vote with an election supposedly coming up me thinks....
Otherwise the concession would have been provided/extended sometime over the past eight years across the country.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Regardless of Political motivation I see it as no bad thing, assuming of course bus travel still exists where you live. As you say many areas already provide this service but many dont, so only good can come out of this concession for those that it does affect.
Perhaps as a bonus city roads will be less congested.
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Perhaps as a bonus city roads will be less congested.
Anything that keeps those Korean OAP machines off the road must be welcomed. (At this point I should do a smiley - but I think they are naff).
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My grandparents lived in Neston but as they were classed as part of Ellesmere Port & Neston and not Wirral they were only entitled to 1/2 price bus fare. If they had just lived 3 miles down the road in Heswall they would have received free transport.
Having said that the changes wont make much difference to them because the nearest train station was a good 2 mile walk away and they only run every 2 hours!!
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Don't forget that it's only free off-peak. So all they will get is a Cinderalla ticket - be home before the clock strikes 5!
Never, ever, ever take anything this lot say at face value. There is always small print. Always.
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Don't forget that it's only free off-peak.
Thats quite true, saw an elderly guy once trying to board the 5.25pm train from Liverpool to Chester only to be told he would have to pay for a ticket.
Station staff spent so long arguing with him they never noticed the few dozen other people who managed to sneek by without a valid ticket (no I was not one of them .... only which I had could have saved myself £2).
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These old age pensioners on time related tickets are called by the bus drivers here ' Twirlys' as in standing at bus door looking at their watches saying ' Am I too early'?
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Hang on. Say they get on at 4:30 for a long trip.
Do they get thrown off half an hour later?
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No they don't have to get off - it's the time you buy the ticket that matters.
I'd go further though and introduce a flat rate of £10 per journey for retired pensioners going shopping at weekends. They have all week to go I don't so they should be penalised for making the streets busier at already busy weekends. I'd also charge them to enter supermarkets on Stuardays and Sundays for the same reason - is this a vote winner?
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is this a vote winner?
No. They're the only ones with enough spare time to vote.
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>>Thats quite true, saw an elderly guy once trying to board the 5.25pm train from Liverpool to Chester only to be told he would have to pay for a ticket.>>
This must be a figment of your imagination.
The off-peak time only applies between 6-30am and 9-30am and perfectly reasonable in view of the fact that it's when most people are going to work.
My free Zone ticket for buses, trains and ferries terms and conditions state:
"Elderly persons travel passes are valid in the Merseyside area only at anytime on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays and at anytime Mondays to Fridays EXCEPT for journeys which start between 6.31am and 9.29am." (The first "only" is actually superfluous).
In actual fact if you catch a bus around the time the peak period is about to end the drivers just let you on without quibble; not surprising as otherwise there would only be the odd passenger without the 10 to 20 senior citizens on board.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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I'm struggling to see the motoring link here..........
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It's patently obvious Mark....the motoring link is um......well it's...er......it's....TRAINS! Yes trains. That's what it is.
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Adam
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>>I'm struggling to see the motoring link here..........>>
I did point out earlier: "If I didn't have a car - and I have no intention of giving up the freedom to go where I want, when I want by disposing of its use - I've estimated that if I used public transport on a regular basis, I would be reimbursed with my annual council tax payment and more."
In fact, like it or not, whatever government is in power is going to all it can to get more vehicles off the road and their occupants on to public transport.
The most obvious way is to price cars off the road but, so far, that point hasn't been reached yet.
Even then the sheer convenience of being able to travel where you want, when you want and accompanied by others is far more attractive - and less expensive - than using buses and trains.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Not a motoring thread. Locked.
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