Bus passes

Thank you Annie Esspee and welbeck

I love driving but when I visit London I park up next to The Royal Albert Hall and then walk or use the underground to flit around.
I thought it might be a novelty to try the buses on my first trip after I qualify for a bus pass in September.

DH is five years older than me. He got his bus pass at 60 and I've had to wait another six years. I was so looking forward to being able to hop on a bus and flash my card, but now that I've finally reached the magic age of 66, I find I've nowhere to go......

I'll make sure I get plenty of use out of it in the future though. For the past six years we've often travelled by car not from choice but because parking charges here are so much cheaper than the extortionate local bus fares. We'll be more than happy to use public transport whenever we can (the bus pass gives us 30% off local train fares as well). For the sake of the planet, the fewer cars there are on the road the better.

NotAGran55, isn't that a very expensive place to park ?

It also annoys me how Scotland get free prescriptions and free university education. It's disgusting. What else do they get free.

Those moaning about rubbish transport services and inequality who voted Tory - you get what you voted for. London is the only capital city in the whole of Europe and N America where the transport services is not routinely subsidised by the government - it is expected to pay its way. TfL is in debt because of covid and no one using the services for months on end, so the government has bailed it out with huge strings attached. One of the strings was expected to be get rid of concessions for pensioners. Khan has resisted this. He got my vote, a much better mayor than Johnson who definitely was rubbish at the job. For environmental and social reasons governments should be supporting public transport not selling it off to private companies to run into the ground.

Yorki

It also annoys me how Scotland get free prescriptions and free university education. It's disgusting. What else do they get free.

We all get as much haggis as we can eat on Burns Night and a government sponsored kilt. We have to learn to play the bagpipes though.

Yes welbeck , but everywhere in London is expensive to park , except on Sundays .

There is always a lot of space, easy with the parking app, I get to see the RAH which is one of my favourite places on earth, a lovely walk through the park etc.

buses are fine in an urban situation, but in the country, forget it.

I got my bus pass when I was 62 when I got my state pension. I'm 69 now and have never used it. It could be to do with my not getting a driving licence until later in life. Having just moved to a new area and having a bus stop nearby, I thought I might give it a go to the city centre. Does anyone know if dogs are allowed on buses?

Notagran -why ever drive into London in the first place. The reason there is a congestion charge is to reduce the amount of traffic, the air pollution and the noise. Are you disabled?
If not, I think people who add to the levels of pollution, especially lead in the air should have a thought for the environment and the air that the people especially children who live there or walk about there have to breathe.
Join the hoi polloi on the buses and welcome to the real world then you can flit around all you like with a clearer conscience. (And yes, although bus passes are issued by your local authority, you can use them anywhere in England.-did you really not know that?)

I feel this qualifies for “Overheard in Waitrose” !

I thought it might be a novelty to try the buses on my first trip after I qualify for a bus pass in September

Yorki

It also annoys me how Scotland get free prescriptions and free university education. It's disgusting. What else do they get free.

Oh absolutely disgusting…a national scandal…disgraceful.
??

I agree - it’s appalling that the Scottish Government should provide any benefits for its inhabitants and even more so that it funds this out of taxes paid by the same inhabitants.

For the record - Bus pass in Scotland cannot be used in England, Wales or NI.
The subsidy to the bus companies is paid by Scot gov.
There is currently a campaign to keep the bus passes in place.
The bus services in rural communities are limited or non existent.
I can visit the local hospital, 17 miles away, in the evening but there is no direct bus home! It would take me two buses and approximately 2.5 hours to get home and a lot of waiting around.
All is not rosey in Scotland. Much needs to be improved.
I want to see an end to ‘Out sourcing’. It is not always, ‘best value’ and competition means cutting quantity and quality as well as crap conditions for employees.

(And yes, although bus passes are issued by your local authority, you can use them anywhere in England.-did you really not know that?)

I apologise if it was not clear that I was talking about England. As the poster I addressed it to says she enjoys driving into South Kensington, London, I felt it needed no qualification.

And I am sorry that any irony on Lucca’s or my part clearly missed its mark

I am in the west midlands and got my bus/local rail pass at 60. I am now over 80. We can travel all over the West Midlands, Wolverhampton to Coventry, and Walsall to Solihull, but only after 9.30 weekdays, can also use local trains and the metro. We've also used it on holidays (but not for trains) in Devon, Cornwall, Norfolk and numerous other areas of England, but not Scotland or Wales. I love it not just for the free travel but the ability to get on a bus without needing to know the fare and fiddle with change.

JaneJudge Carers do have to show proof fwiw. They even do at the cinema with cinema pass thing

Do you know what proof would need to be provided and how to go about it? Surely, this could mean that dozens of people would need to obtain proof for each disabled person as a different person might accompany them every time?

I have a profoundly deaf family member, so would each family member who accompanies them need to provide proof?

It would make more sense for the person with the disability to have proof of the fact and that would cover anyone who accompanies them.

Just a reminder why we need to use public transport in cities such as London and not drive however easily we may find parking in S Ken (although I am beyond surprised) unless it is absolutely essential
The World Health Organisation says there is “no safe level” for lead exposure
Researchers estimate 40 per cent of all lead in London’s air can be directly traced back to leaded fuels
Despite the leaded petrol ban, historically combusted lead is still present in London’s air more than 20 years later,” said Dr Eléonore Resongles, lead author from Imperial. Researchers analysed the air samples for specific lead isotopes, as this allowed them to calculate the ­pollutant’s source. They found atmospheric lead levels had plateaued in the past decade and that the poisonous particles were likely being kept afloat by wind and vehicle movements
Lead is very hazardous to health, and exposure can cause poisoning that manifests as cardiovascular, ­kidney and reproductive problems in adults. It is particularly potent for children, and has been linked to neurodevelopmental issues, including low IQ. It can be fatal if left untreated but at low levels it can be hard to identify and the condition can only be confirmed with blood tests

If that were your grandchildren?

Yorki

It also annoys me how Scotland get free prescriptions and free university education. It's disgusting. What else do they get free.

Is this a joke?

You’d think so wouldn’t you, but I fear it may not be.

I’m often surprised by posters who object strongly to the idea of Scottish independence appear to dislike the Scots so much !!

Say nothing Alegrias, say nothing....

Haud yer wheesht ??

I'm another one, who is biting their tongue about Yorki's ill informed comment!

I'm not an expert in Scottish politics and I'm sure someone will put me right.

Tax revenue generated in Scotland amounts to about £66 billion, including North Sea oil revenue and Westminster gives the Scottish Government a budget to spend. The Scottish government decides how to spend this money and they decided to give everyone free prescriptions.
Oh and we also get free eye tests!

It's a strategy is designed to improve the long term health of the Scottish people.