Bus pass and prescriptions?

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.

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.

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.

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.

I can think of many reasons why the free bus pass scheme should be retained, and in my opinion expanded, but this one alone stands out.

Way back in 2017 an updated cost analysis of a 2014 review conducted by Greener Transport Solutions estimated that every £1 spent on the free bus pass generated £3.79 for the U.K. economy. I think it’d be safe to say that figure would be much higher now.

For that reason alone, it would be a very foolish Government that got rid of it.

www.cpt-uk.org/media/gp5podvr/concessionary-travel-june-2017.pdf

Grammaretto

I'll see you on the march!

I love my bus pass. I use it all the time. I want public transport to improve for everyone. If the buses are not used, they will disappear.

If it's deemed too expensive perhaps those of us who can afford to pay, we could pay something for the luxury of keeping the services going.

I also have a senior rail pass which makes long distance travel affordable too.

Accessible free travel helps older folk to get out to see others and thus to keep healthy. Hopefully we will then avoid the prescription drugs altogether!

Totally agree,perhaps we could pay a nominal sum for our bus passes, say £10, that's a lot of money from the amount of pensioners that are entitled to it. My worry is what they use the monies for, wont be to give poorly paid bus drivers a rise .As for rail passes,I read, can't remember where, but train companies are thinking of making the discount less,bet they'll up the price though. Someone has to pay for the train drivers pay rise eh. !!

Council tax discount I mean.

Where is it actually saying that the council tax, bus passes and prescriptions are at risk? Is it just in the right wing gutter press? Twitter/X or other social media?
I think we must wait for the budget to get to the truth. So much stirring.

Doodledog

I’m so glad parliament is restarting, so these constant rumours and speculation will stop, and people aren’t stressing about things that might never happen.

Hmmmm....things might very well not happen. Except to pensioners, the disabled, the low paid and the terminally ill. The usual bunch of low-hanging fruit that don't have the option to fight back, ie: withdrawing labour and going on strike.

M0nica

I would like to see bas passes and free prescriptions go and all those silly little handouts that treat us like children, unable to budget properly, so needing all our money given in special one-use only teapots. They are very unfair on those who cannot use bus passes because there are no buses or because they are disabled.

In its place I would increase pennion credit by the amount these silly little extras cost and leave us to manage our money for ourselves, as we have done all our lives.

The bus companies would probably still offer concessionary rates in off peak periods, Just like the Senior Rail card on railways, which is not subsidised, but is a sensible marketing ploy, lik eall other railcards.

I agree MOnica.
I’d also like to see the basic state pension increased. Those of us who have work or private pensions could then pay tax. The cost of administering all these concessions could be saved

Love my bus pass and hope it stays. Now heard they are thinking of scrapping single household 25% council tax rebate which would be a financial disaster for thousands of widows and young single people who are just starting out. I wanted change but wanted change for the better not for worse.

I also think that the eligibility age should be set nationally at 67 or 70, to be announced well in advance.

From the reports I have read in the newspapers, free prescriptions will not be scrapped. What the Government may do is bring them in line with retirement age.

I’d be surprised if free bus passes are abolished, because it’s the subsidy from bus passes that enables bus companies to operate, they would not be profitable otherwise. Labour supports green transport, and the bus services are a vital link in that chain.

As it is bus passes in many places can’t be used till after 9.00 a.m and the bus companies already complain that the sums reimbursed to them per bus pass are inadequate (don’t know how these are calculated).
Those who depend on bus transport but aren’t eligible for pension credit wouldn’t agree that bus passes are a silly little extra. Only a few weeks ago we had a thread about the importance of mandatory vision tests for over 80s. Frailer old people have to get about somehow and not all their teapots are deep enough to run to constant taxes. An annual charge for those not on income support would be sensible.

I have a bus pass but don't have a bus service and I live in the city not in the middle of nowhere.

When Covid started they took off our bus route and never put it back on again so I have now to get taxis into the city centre. The taxi fare is £15 plus return depending on traffic. The nearest bus stop is a 35 minute walk, downhill to get there but a very steep hill to get me home again. At nearly 82 years of age I have walked to the nearest bus stop and then got a taxi home but it would still be cheaper paying my bus fare than getting taxis. The walk downhill depends on the weather and many OAP's like myself have become isolated because some of us cannot walk for 35 minutes or are disabled or cannot afford to pay for taxi fares.

What is upsetting, the bus stop is outside the end of my street so what is the use of a bus stop when there are no buses.

I would rather pay my bus fare and have a bus service in my area than have to pay £15 return taxi fare to get me from A to B. I honestly think that the council have taken off our bus route because they know many pensioners live in our area and get free rides so perhaps if they started charging us bus fares we may get our bus service restored.

We have had many petitions but the powers that be just say it is not cost effective. The taxi companies love it.

I would like to see bas passes and free prescriptions go and all those silly little handouts that treat us like children, unable to budget properly, so needing all our money given in special one-use only teapots. They are very unfair on those who cannot use bus passes because there are no buses or because they are disabled.

In its place I would increase pennion credit by the amount these silly little extras cost and leave us to manage our money for ourselves, as we have done all our lives.

The bus companies would probably still offer concessionary rates in off peak periods, Just like the Senior Rail card on railways, which is not subsidised, but is a sensible marketing ploy, lik eall other railcards.

I actually now only watch news about 9pm as it nearly always is something to feel stressed about and dont want to go to bed worrying about things then. Not that I ignore things in the day and support various petitions and have my say at meetings about buses etc . Round here it is ridiculous as the last of the local town buses stop at 3pm so you could not even go out in the afternoon and get back by bus. We need trustworthy public transport. I would much prefer to travel by train to anywhere long distance but I need passenger asistance and the worry as to whether it will be there when I need it puts me off using it. I have had both expriences, very good help when I arrived and then having to ask another passenger to ask at the gate for help for me as no one was there and I could not manage to walk up a long platform.

Exactly!
Thank you Doodledog

I remember when my late darling mother first had her bus pass and how thrilled she was. In those days, she had to pay £1.00 per ride when she showed it which she was more than happy to do.

Yes, the scaremongering is so pointless as it leaves people worrying, probably without justification. Spreading false rumours has led to horrendous actions recently, resulting in prison sentences for some.

I blame the right wing press for scaremongering.

Well said Doodledog. So much scaremongering. Bus pass withdrawal would be such a retrograde step and would hit shops, cafes and other small businesses heavily and the health and well being of the elderly....and the traffic on the roads and parking availability. I doubt very much it would happen although I could see the possibility of an annual charge for it. Much like we pay here for garden rubbish collection. But I doubt that would be in the next few years if ever.

There are a lot of benefits over 60s can get free that “could” be means tested. Under 60s are means tested it is NOT difficult to extend this to everyone, fact it is an easy target.

Well off over 60s are costing the tax payer many billions in free services

Grammaretto

That's true Doodledog but we can never be complacent when it comes to politicians.

We never know what might happen, but the constant speculation and fretting since the election is entirely pointless. I don’t who is behind all the rumours, but we’ve had rumours about means-testing pensions, withdrawal of bus passes, free prescriptions for over-60s being withdrawn, inheritance tax increases, capital gains and wealth tax and more that I can’t remember - none of which have been announced or even discussed. I even read about a garden tax being introduced!

I think the days of pensioners being prioritised are over. The new government will see that young families, the disabled and the poor will be treated better than they have been. That doesn’t mean they are ‘out to get’ pensioners, though - just that giving them money simply on the basis of age will stop, and pensioners will be included in packages for the poor, the sick etc in the same ways as other people.

Whether we are complacent or paranoid will make no difference to the outcome, but currently people are being wound up to an alarming degree, which is bad for stress levels and will probably turn out to be entirely unfounded.

Never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you.

I am lucky enough to moved to Merseyside when I was 61 here men and women once they reach 60 get a free bus and local train pass. If I had stayed in the west midlands I would only have got a free bus pass this year as I am now 66.

The transport system is very good and rely on buses and local trains as I don't drive. I changed mine to a disabled one which I didn't know until this year I could have had it when I moved here but it means I don't have to wait until 9.30am to use it can still use it on local trains and on buses in England. My bus pass has given me the freedom to go out 3 times a week I couldn't do that if I had to pay. My mom always said her bus pass was worth it's weight in gold and that's how I feel since having mine. I even joined a GP practice because the bus stops opposite luckily turned out to be a very good practice. I can get a bus that stops outside the hospital I have to use.

Targeting pensioners and disabled is despicable they should target the rich and people who live and work here but use banks in the channel islands and other countries as tax dodges .

We will have to wait until the budget to see what will happen as we need facts not rumours.