Bus pass and prescriptions?

I meant to say £3.79 in benefits (some are not directly to the economy), but the general point still applies. Oh for an edit button.

Talk about scaremongering mae. Do you really think that it is only the threat of strikes that stops everything from being cut? Nonsense.

I disagree about ‘cutting silly little things’ too. The fare from my town to the city was £8.50 before the £2 fares came in. It will probably go up if the scheme ends, as fares have always risen every year. That is a lot out of a state pension. There are no season tickets available either - just weekly ones which used to cost £35 and only save money if you make several trips a week. Basically they are for commuters, and they rarely go in every day now that work from home is so commonplace.

Cutting the free pass would trap a lot of older people in their homes, increase loneliness and poor mental health, and be bad for the environment as those with cars would drive everywhere. Increasing pension credit to compensate would do nothing for those who have paid into occupational pensions over their working lives, and would be very unfair. Not everyone who doesn’t get pension credit is rich. This sort of means-testing would mean occupational pensions are not worth the bother and cost. It’s not as though they are free gifts either - those who have them have paid for them.

Ladyleftfieldlover

I blame the right wing press for scaremongering.

We should not see it as scaremongering we should realize just how much the over 60s are getting for free even the millionaires whether they need it or not.

We also want better NHS, better Care services, better Water quality, better Transport services, wasting money giving universal benefits to the well off is very wasteful, the poor are suffering from the most because of this.

Monica your description of bus passes and free prescriptions for seniors as ‘silly little extras’ shows me that you’re one of the lucky well off ones.Spare a thought for those many who aren’t as lucky as you but don’t get pension credit either.
I totally get why people are worried and feeling nervous about the coming budget and what it may contain.
If you’re well off and cushioned from any budget then it’s easy not to have fears.

What would be saved by taking bus passes from millionaire pensioners, David, and how are you defining ‘need’?

David49
Are you comfortably off too? It’s one thing to think of not giving benefits such as free prescriptions and bus passes to those wealthy seniors by some kind of means testing but not to any others.
Pensioners over a certain age can’t earn anything, savings dwindle and circumstances can change.

Bus companies in Scotland would go out of business if passes were scrapped. I'd be another one marching, it's the best thing ever to have. I don't drive due to medical reasons it's a life saver.

These 'silly little extras' mean a lot to many of us less well off pensioners. We are not all rich and have private incomes on top of our pension.
I hope the rumours are wrong. And I hoped this new Labour government would be on the side of poorer people. It is not in evidence yet. I'm disappointed so far. But, we'll see...

I'm waiting for someone to mention Mick Jagger, and how he gets all the freebies. It's just a matter of time. I wish he'd let us know how often he gets the bus to visit Keith, so we know how much would be saved if he had to pay.

MOnica if I had to pay for my prescription a month it would cost me £99 . Before I was 60 I brought a yearly prepayment card. If I had to pay on the bus that would be £12 a week as a single journey is £2 at the moment . This year was the first year for 19 years I have been able afford to have a holiday in this country. If I have to pay for my prescriptions and bus and local train fares I would never beable to have a holiday again .

Those that can afford if you want opt out of getting free prescriptions and bus pass. But leave the rest of us who need them to enjoy getting them . I wasn't brought up with money and always had to be careful with it. Been widowed 20 years and even though I was born disabled I had to fight from 1988 until 2023 to get disability benefits Back in 1988 it was DLA but thanks to going to PIP tribunal and only because the Brain Charity got me a solicitor pro bono and the tribunal awarded enhanced PIP for living and enhanced PIP for mobility indefinitely and back dated until March 2022 when I asked for the forms. And the decision comes on crown court paper. The rotten PIP lot gave me 0 on everything . The judge apologised for the way I had been treated.

I had my full state pension this year and get pension credit. I had nothing but money worries since me husband died aged 47. Oh I get 48p a week from his state pension from his 30 years of paying a lot of NI contributions .

If I hadn't been awarded PIP last year my savings would have run out before I reached pension age.

Doodledog

What would be saved by taking bus passes from millionaire pensioners, David, and how are you defining ‘need’?

Absolutely nothing - if they’re not used, they’re not costing anything.

On the other hand I know people just scraping by and slightly over the Pension Credit limit who only get out and about because of the free bus pass, and who use theirs several times a week. Adding a small amount to every pension instead (even to those of the most well off) wouldn’t go anywhere near compensating frequent users.

I appreciate that people with no, or poor, bus services don’t get the benefit, which is just one of the reasons why I see the dire state of our public transport as one of the top issues I hope the new government will address.

Absolutely nothing - if they’re not used, they’re not costing anything.

That was my point, Maggie. I doubt many millionaires use the bus regularly. I know some will, if the service is regular and convenient, but these days that's a rarity. Even if they do, buses are rarely full, so they are just taking up a seat, as opposed to actually costing real money.

Whiff nobody gets their late husband's pension now, as new pensions are awarded in people's own right, based on their own contributions from NI or benefits. If you were on the old pension (which could be inherited) you would be getting a lot less than 48p below what you get now.

There's "scaremongering" because Labour brought in scrapping the WFA for pensioners not on pension credit as soon as they were in power - no mention of it prior to the election. There's been no opportunity for debate in Parliament. They've told us already that the budget is going to be painful. Of course there's speculation. There's a lot of very frightened folk, - pensioners, working people, home owners, renters, businesses etc. I know I am.

Our buses here in the Scottish Borders are often so full there is standing room only. Now that young people have free bus passes too, (up to age 22) many more people are using PT
The fact that it costs about £6 an hour to park in Edinburgh puts a few people off car use.
It's going in the right direction but it takes time for the message to get through that you need passengers to run a bus service and the bus companies need to be reminded.

I also think we need to let our politicians know our feelings. They are elected to serve us remember.

I am personally very grateful for the silly little extras. I live on Merseyside I do drive but can’t drive out of my comfort zone. When I worked until retirement I didn’t drive there it was over twenty miles away. I paid for public transport because it was cheaper than the parking.

Now on a pension both my DH and I use public transport with our pensioners transport pass. This enables us to volunteer and socialise miles from where we live. When we go out with our friends we all come from different areas so we use public transport.

The medications I take the cost is unknown to me but I guess it would be a lot of money. I have worked all my life and unfortunately some of my health issues are related to the work I did as a young woman.

The reward I get free transport and medication is well paid for by my contributions to National Insurance and taxes I paid. It is appreciated and most certainly not taken for granted.

Oh please- one share from Twitter (which is now called X and is owned by Elon Musk, a man whose conscience does not match his wealth) and we have two pages of comments!

Mmm, now I've commented, but just to say I use my bus pass and have regular free prescriptions. I also still pay taxes on my pension.

I will use mine when I get it next year. I think the more people who use public transport the better.

Wendyann23 you will only see change for the worse under Labour

BevSec

Wendyann23 you will only see change for the worse under Labour

I heard they were bringing in compulsory kick boxing classes for over 60s, as they are reducing the number of police on our streets and we will have to defend ourselves. People on pension credit will get 50% off the cost, but everyone else will have to pay £30 an hour. I think my hairdresser's neighbour's cousin saw it on Twitter.

Doodledog

BevSec

Wendyann23 you will only see change for the worse under Labour

I heard they were bringing in compulsory kick boxing classes for over 60s, as they are reducing the number of police on our streets and we will have to defend ourselves. People on pension credit will get 50% off the cost, but everyone else will have to pay £30 an hour. I think my hairdresser's neighbour's cousin saw it on Twitter.

Well done you

BevSec and others, its all to easy to snipe and scaremonger, but I haven't heard a word from anyone as to how Sunak, had he remained in power, would have dealt with the appalling black hole left in the finances, the constant strikes and hostility with our NHS, keeping teachers..

what measures would they have taken?

Hear we go a again the the comfortably of pensioner referring to the bus pas and prescriptions as silly little extras. I find this patronising and ignorant.
I get full new state pension minus £7 a week and I pay tax. Prescriptions that I do not have to pay for are a help to me. My friend on state pensions only, finds the above a godsend.
If you are a comfortably of pensioner, don't tick the box and pay for your prescriptions, and don't use the bus pass if yiu feel like that.
Some pensioners are a couple of pounds of getting PC and struggle.

I hope the above are just rumours by the way.

rafichagran

Hear we go a again the the comfortably of pensioner referring to the bus pas and prescriptions as silly little extras. I find this patronising and ignorant.
I get full new state pension minus £7 a week and I pay tax. Prescriptions that I do not have to pay for are a help to me. My friend on state pensions only, finds the above a godsend.
If you are a comfortably of pensioner, don't tick the box and pay for your prescriptions, and don't use the bus pass if yiu feel like that.
Some pensioners are a couple of pounds of getting PC and struggle.

Agreed.

As Doodledog posts, we all doubt Mick and Keith are using bus passes or in need of free prescriptions - but for those on low income who do need and can well use - a godsend indeed.

We live where there are no buses, I certainly don't begrudge others a bus pass just because I have to drive everywhere for everything.

Wyllow3, none of us know what would have happened had the Tories remained in power, I didnt vote for them either btw. I have also heard that there is no “black hole” in the finances, its just being used as an excuse to raise taxes, stop wfa etc to help give generous public sector pay rises. Its socialist Labour through and through.