Bus pass

I hadn't heard about this. I thought they had said that the bus pass was safe. If it is true then I agree we should all write to our MP's to object!

While we get free bus travel, we are more likely to spend a bit more when we do get to our destination, and help the economy along.

If the buses are too crowded with old gits they could restrict bus pass travel to times outside the rush hour, when the buses are half empty and going the same route anyway - might as well carry some free passengers as not. Most of the pass holders I know would rather travel when the buses are not so full in any case, they are more likely to get a seat and less likely to catch everyone's colds.

DH and I had a lovely day out in London on Tuesday with free travel with our bus passes. Buses are a bit more fiddly than trains but the train fare from here is just under £40 for the two of us so we put up with hanging around at bus-stops and going around London on buses is more fun than using the underground. So I hope this is an unfounded rumour.

I hope so too Petallus, my husband travels each day on his Freedom pass from south west London to Rickmansworth, if he paid for it it would cost him about 20 pounds a day. We realise how lucky we are, but don't want to lose it.

I haven't heard this, I thought they had promised to keep them at least for this parliament.

Our bus passes are limited to travel after 0930 anyway. I do think it is a shame that Londoners get the Freedom Pass but the rest of us are restricted to only buses. Yet another example of the country being Londoncentric.

It wouldn't make a huge difference to us as we live in a fairly rural area and only use them when we visit one son or about 3 times a year to go to Worcester.

Where did you get this information from, joanveronica?

I think Anagram that it is one of Nick Cleggs ideas, I read somewhere that he wants free prescriptions, and other benefits that the over sixties get , reviewed.

There is a lot of talk about restricting pensioners' "perks" – bus passes, winter fuel allowance, free TV licence for the over 75s, free prescriptions – to the poorest. There is also talk about graduating the "perks", so those who are not on the bread line can still have some benefits. It has been suggested, for example, that the slightly better off should pay something towards their bus passes. This is all talk so far and, while I would rarely trust anything a politician says, David Cameron did say that these benefits were safe for this Parliament and I think he is bright enough to know that our generation usually votes and that we would be jolly cross if he went back on his word about this. As usual, the politicians keep burbling on about how absurd it is that billionaires can have free bus travel. As if…

DC also promised to leave child benefit alone for this parliament and then made this stupid unenforceable rule about deducting it from those earning over £50k. That would be a lot for a family in this area but not much if you live in the SE.

Hello I am updating my original message. I have had a letter from my MP confirming that this Government will continue to fund the free bus pass. However he states that local bus services are "a matter for the individual bus companies according to the subsidies they receive from council tax payers via the County Council". So I suggest that if your local bus company is under threat you need to contact your County Councillors.

Apparently the bus pass is no longer available from 60 but from state pension age- my firend has just been turned down and given this information.

Which all goes to confirm that - (all together now)
You cannae shove yer granny aff a bus!

gracesmum

I got mine by the skin of my teeth when I was 60 the criteria changed the following year

We were given a bus pass which we use quite a lot , is a help to us once you get used to keeping your eye on times so as not to miss bus [that sounds a bit like a pun ]