Greater London, over 66's free transport under threat?

If a bus or train is running it costs no more to have extra passengers on it who have passes. Insisting on payment simply consigns at least some of them to a restricted life confined to where they can get to on foot. Why would you want to do that? Means-testing would simply reduce those with a bit of a pension to the financial situation they would have been in had they not bought that pension, so deter all but the better off from trying to improve their older age. Why do that?

Subsidised transport (for all ages) reduces pollution, brings footfall to centres, frees up roads, reduces loneliness and could improve mental health. It allows people to travel to work when it might be too expensive to do so otherwise.

Where I live is relatively well- connected (although transport is expensive) but only between the nearest city and surrounding towns. Between the towns themselves is a tricky journey as you have to go into the city and out again- often adding hours and £££) and villages and recent housing developments are cut off. This was not the case before routes were privatised - back then, busy routes subsidised quiet ones. Money should not be the only driver. People matter more.

how do we pay for all this extensive free transport. Especially in a country with a declining birthrate where there will soon probably be more pensioners than workers.

LemonJam

I think it's a good thing for the young age group to access free bus travel across the country. That enables young people starting out to travel to work to contribute towards taxes. Plus when not working enables them to travel socially and spend money in leisure and service industries.

They are at a stage in life they have little amassed or savings and society needs their contribution. Plus it helps establish, hopefully a life long habit of using public travel with the potential to cut down on single passenger car driving over many years.

Just this really.
The part about getting into the habit of using public transport.

I get irritated when noisy groups of school kids jump on the bus for 2 stops and take over, sitting in the seats reserved for disabled, but on the whole I think it's a boon which should be extended, not withdrawn.

Older people on buses each day must save the NHS a goodly sum, as it's so good for mental wellbeing.

Can the Freedom Pass be used in other parts of England for bus travel, from the age of 60? Or is it restricted to London only?

A petition has been started.

www.change.org/p/stop-restricting-freedom-pass-travel-in-london.

Please sign if you benefit from the freedom pass,
please DON'T sign if you live outside the area of the freedom pass

'Metropolitan areas' says it all. Forget the country dwellers.

M0nica

granbabies123

I can't imagine they would stop the free pass for buses the whole country gets that. There would be uproar.
I was extremely upset at not getting my pass at 60 when Scotland Wales and Londoners got it. Very unfair.

there is no intention of stopping the bus pass, merely that henceforth it would apply to buses only, not trains, tube and tram, which it does in London, but nowhere else.

Concessionary rail travel is included with the ‘bus pass’ in some metropolitan areas such as West Midlands, Greater Manchester and Merseyside not just London. My sister in law for example lives within the West Midlands area and can travel by train within the West Midlands from 9:30am on week days and any time over the weekend.

Even if free transport were rolled out across the UK it wouldn't be much help to those of us living in rural areas where buses are almost non-existant thanks to years of Tory cuts and Labour inattention.

granbabies123

I can't imagine they would stop the free pass for buses the whole country gets that. There would be uproar.
I was extremely upset at not getting my pass at 60 when Scotland Wales and Londoners got it. Very unfair.

there is no intention of stopping the bus pass, merely that henceforth it would apply to buses only, not trains, tube and tram, which it does in London, but nowhere else.

I can't imagine they would stop the free pass for buses the whole country gets that. There would be uproar.
I was extremely upset at not getting my pass at 60 when Scotland Wales and Londoners got it. Very unfair.

Catgrann

No,illegal immigrants do not get free travel passes,asylum seekers do for essential journeys,Doctors and the like

I suppose they’re given so little money as their application is processed that a bus pass would be essential.

No,illegal immigrants do not get free travel passes,asylum seekers do for essential journeys,Doctors and the like

JuBut

Mayor Khan is labour, and like the labour government are against pensioners and taking all they can away from them. You're right youngsters get some free travel. I pay for travel and get annoyed when I pay bus fare and illegal immigrants get on for free!!! I've worked 46 years in the NHS contributing to everything, and no further forward

Do “illegal” immigrants really get free travel?

Norah

M0nica

Sueinkent

Al public transport should be free.

How would you pay for it?

Less spending on things less important than buses.

But I doubt there would ever be any agreement as to what is less important. Education? health? defence? road maintenance?

M0nica

Sueinkent

Al public transport should be free.

How would you pay for it?

Less spending on things less important than buses.

Ju But,how could you possibly know if the immigrants are illegal?

In an ideal world public transport would be a lot cheaper and be more efficiently run to encourage people off the roads, but it isn't. I'd like to see it heavily subsidised for those who are cash strapped and are very dependent on it, especially young people, low paid shift works etc. I don't think society can expect costly infrastructure to be free for everybody the money has to come from somewhere.

Sueinkent

Al public transport should be free.

How would you pay for it?

keepingquiet

I was shocked to read that OP was annoyed about young people getting free transport.

When I was young bus fares and most other things were much cheaper. I travelled long distances to schools and colleges which clearly helped me get a good job and pay my taxes.

How does he expect young people to get around otherwise?

Quite.

Al public transport should be free.

Doodledog

Yes, it would be better if public transport were free or heavily subsidised for all ages. The current cap on fares is an excellent scheme, and I hope it continues. I would also like to see more investment in slower and less busy routes, so that people living in isolated areas can get around more easily. If every builder putting more then x number of houses on the fringes of towns had to subsidise a shuttle bus to the town centre for 20 years (or whatever seems reasonable) then town centres wouldn't end up given over to car parks, schools wouldn't have parents parking up and creating accident blackspots, and people would be able to get from a to b more easily, which would make employment easier, improve footfall in the centres, and reduce loneliness and poor mental health. The air would be cleaner, and accidents would, presumably, be fewer.

The short-sighted assumption that everyone has access to a car is behind a lot of problems that could easily be solved with a bit of forethought, and investment in public transport.

Doodledog, you have hit several nails on the head! We use our bus passes and our Senior Railcards so often that we have been able to give up our car, as we are fortunate enough to live in a town which has reasonable public transport. We also use our bus passes when visiting friends and family in various Scottish cities, and have appreciated the English bus fare cap when we've been on holiday in England.

In Scotland, under-22s can also have bus passes and our DGC use theirs a lot. I am happy to see our local young people able to travel to work or college without cars, and I would be very happy to see free public transport open to anyone. It might reduce the horrendous traffic on so many roads. Let's invest in public transport and encourage the alternative to cars for people who can manage without. That would also make it easier for those who cannot manage without.

I've lived in London my entire life. When I was a child, children over 2 years and under 14 on tubes and under 16 on buses paid half fare. Older than that they paid full adult fare. This charging regime continued all through my children's childhoods.

As a non-driver I've always used public transport, and when my three children were young it cost an enormous amount for the four of us to visit my parents and siblings living on the other side of the Thames - even though it wasn't far as the crow flies.

Nowadays all under 18s get free travel on the tube, trains and buses. This also applies to over 18s in certain circumstances such as for those on work placements and apprenticeships.

I would now hate to lose the travel concession it took me 60 years to receive. I travel during the day when the trains are two-thirds empty in outer London.

I wonder if in return Sadiq Khan will reduce the Mayor's precept, (which is added to our Council Tax) for pensioners. Not holding my breath.

The over 60s Oyster card has an annual charge of £10 ( I know because I used to pay it).
Freedom pass system could do the same to reduce costs - maybe £25 a year?
The advantage of the Freedom pass is it gives free bus travel nationally.
Also don't forget those of us over 66 used to pay fares when we were younger!

I hope Pen50 doesn't sit in the first 3 rows - commonly known by those in the industry as the suicide zone or death row. That is because in an accident such as hitting a bridge, you would not survive

That’s great LOUISA1523