bad luck DH !

I've been using my BP for 4 years in London now - I use it all the time for train, tubes and buses (when I'm not walking which is my first choice for getting about). Husband turned 60 this year and was put out to find he didn't qualify for a bus pass for some years, but then somewhere (might even have been on here) I read about the 60+ Oyster Card in London, which he was eligible for, and it's as good as a Freedom Pass. So we both happily travel for free in London. Thanks, Boris.

Oh that we were on a bus route! Didn't give it a thought when we moved donkey's years ago. I've had a pass since I was 60 but no bus !I have to drive 3 miles to the nearest stop which is at the local garrison.
Sort of defeats the object !We have bus stops but no buses. Somewhat confusing for strangers.

I can't get on and off buses easily and my nearest stop is too far for me to walk. I haven't bothered to get a bus pass.
Btw, I saw bp and thought blood pressure?

I use my pass a great deal but I am lucky in that public transport is good here in Manchester, and I can even travel for free on the tram. I only use the car for essential trips these days, as the cost of running it is so expensive. I am thinking of downsizing in the next few years, and public transport will be high on my list of must-haves.

Hehe Galen "using my blood pressure" ... apologies for lazy abbreviation

I use mine for days out with a friend. It's not much good for everyday use as there are not many buses and what we do have give me too long in the town. It is annoying that when I do use it I have to get the car out for the first 5 miles but would not like to be without it !
Could be said that a BP saves the BP !

My local Park and Ride (Merrow, Guildford) offers free parking any time and free bus into town for bus pass holders after 9.30. The first free bus, the 9.35 is always stuffed to bursting with wrinklies... Hadn't realised other places charged, so will enjoy this little treat while it lasts!

vegas apparently the buses travelling down the main road in your neck of the woods are covering the busiest route in the UK. If I go into the city, I park round the corner from a bus stop in Didsbury or Withingon and can hop on a bus within a few minutes. I just have to remember where I left the car on my way home!

Used to use mine every day, until we got a car again. Now I use it for trips to Edinburgh, Glasgow etc. I got mine 3 years ago at 60 .

I live in a popular seaside town. We have our own bus pass users but we also get users from all over GB. We have a bus that will take you from Bournemouth to Wareham - in the summer it's packed and sometimes not one passenger has paid a fare. Same with the bus that goes to Salisbury.
I use mine when I go to London - for the buses only it's not valid for the underground. It certainly saves me a lot of money. However, the bus company bills your council for each time a bus pass is used. So our Council has to cough up for passengers who don't pay any Council Tax in our area. To be honest I think that rather then do away with the bus pass altogether, the pass can only be used in your area. It would certainly save our Council a great deal of money.

If the buses billed the council that issued the tickets it would make more sense. They are presumably paying council tax where they live normally.

Then again people using bus passes will be buying things when they're not on the bus; cups of tea, meals, gifts etc that they may not have done it they'd had to pay for transport. I'll be using my bus pass to go to the local shopping centre; as it is I rarely go into town as I spend too much money when I go there and parking is so expensive. I'm sure Westfield would be half empty most days if it wasn't for people travelling in with their bus pass. When we go oop north I'll be using my bus pass to go into Newcastle, somewhere that I wouldn't go to if I had to pay to get there.

I recently used my bus pass when I visited my daughter on Hayling Island. I left the car parked up and took my 2 grandsons (aged 2 and 3) onto the local bus. We visited a nearby town but they just wanted to get back on the bus! They thought it was great! The bonus being that it was all free !!

JoyBloggs you must be reasonably close to me..I sometimes use Guildford Park and Ride but use the Artington car park!

I live in a village in Lincolnshire, we are a village that has lost its public transport due to money and politics ,we are one village amongst many that have a large 60+ population.We are also one of amongst many who have lost their freedom to use their bus pass. I know there is always call connect and taxis , and those like myself who have their husbands to drive,are not trapped but there are a lot of very lonely people,who through no fault of their own are being deprived of the use of their bus passes .For how long we can keep using our car so much is anyones guess .So those who can use their bus passes , take care the powers to be are out to take the use of it away from you. So saving money

Prompted by this thread I have just applied online for my pass. I can pick it up tomorrow at the library as long as I take proof of identity and address..so drivers licence will do that! Will have to find out the bus timetable now!

I have had my pass for seven years now and use it frequently - going into town several times a week. The bus stops opposite my house and drops me off just outside on my return journey. We nearly always have the same driver - Paul - who is so kind to his customers, young and old. It's more like a club than a bus service, he knows where everyone gets on and off, knows many of his customers by name and he always has a basket of sweets for people to help themselves! I also use my pass to go up to London and for travel on London buses. We are moving to Kent shortly and will sadly miss the service that we have in Hertfordshire. I for one won't be happy if they withdraw the over 60s bus pass, many older people rely on the bus pass and are still paying taxes, thereby contributing to the economy.

The bus pass is a life saver for my 89 year old Mum. She knows the timetables off by heart & travels all over Dorset. She cannot understand her many friends without a car who don't use theirs & then complain of feeling down. She even served on a County transport committee for a while.
My pass is useless where I live except for a bus that gives me door to door access to a good hospital & saves me £5 each way & I use it in Oxford P&R. But in London it's wonderful & I love being able to get on a bus there without knowing where me & GS/D are going & getting off when we feel like it.
NannaAnna, don't worry about getting lost in London - that's half the fun & you can always find a free bus to get you to where you want to be. Travelling on London buses also keeps you in touch with real life! Me & GS/D love sitting at the front on the top deck too - keeps them occupied for ages.

Penstemmon I use the Guildford Park and Ride at Artington too. Not very often but if I need or want to go to Guildford it's very efficient and with a bus pass there's nothing to pay either

I use my bus pass at least 3 to 4 times a week in either direction, I also will sometimes pay my fare if I use a bus before the national 0930 start time.
We are liucky also to get 1/3 off railfare for a sum of £30, but if you use the rail often this can soon be used to benefit.
I am a member of Bus users Uk , and feel the bus pass is being wrongly used as many think its free travel when its not.
Each County Council have set figure xx in the £ towards the cost of the fare, there is no direct funding from the respective government at all as its done locally at council tax payers expense.
Bus operators only get a small amount per 100 users , but some smaller bus operators have gone into liquidation due to the bus pass,as the money they get does not cover the cost of single ticket on journeys.
The labour government who brought it in are at fault because there has never been a pot of money laid to oneside for the bus pass.
Hence the UK debt problem.
Mick

I don't drive and use my bus pass a lot but you wouldn't use buses from choice. Routes are tortuous and journeys typically take 55mins to go 10 miles. Timetables change frequently and information at bus stops and bus stations is not updated. There always seems to be one lunatic on board.
Country bus drivers are friendly and helpful but no, not something I'd do for fun.

The bus that used to pass my door went all the way to Stockport; now a little bus that goes via two railway stations stops when it reaches the A6 and you have to change to another bus. One of the reasons for buying this house was that it was on a good bus route.

Can I just warn everyone about something that has happened in my village. Someone was waiting at a bus stop and a couple of women came up to them saying in broken English that they needed to find a hospital. Then one of them grabbed a lady that was at the bus stop and stole some jewellery that she was wearing.

Living in Queensland Australia I have a GoCard. It covers trains buses and ferries: if you go on a journey that uses some or all of them, it is treated as one journey, half price of course, 'cos I'm over 65. There are three kinds of GoCards" blue for full fare, ie workers, green for concessions, ie people on benefits, and red for oldies.

I use it all the time: it costs me A$ 1.53 to go to our nearest city, Ipswich, one way. It is about 8 kilometers.

I love our local electric commuter trains; they run on time, are airconditioned and safe. I have an 8 minute walk to the station, where I have a natter to the station master and other locals, then a 10 minute journey, then I have an easy 5 minute walk to the library, where our U3A writers' Group meets. it is all very relaxed and easy, compared with the parking problems drivers get.

I used to cycle everywhere until I got my bus pass. Each year thereafter I gained an extra stone. I am now too heavy for the Bicycle. Although we have excellent bus services in Derby they can be time consuming. My foot clinic is only 2 miles away but requires two buses and 2 hours travel time to get there. Last Year I visited the National Forest which is only 17 miles from my home. It required 4 buses and 3 hours to get there followed by 3 buses and 2 hours returning by another route.

I do meet and chat with some interesting passengers though.