don't have a problem with under 16's having free bus travel,BUT

monami

I ave just had £7.65 a week pension credit taken off me because I inherited a few pounds which took my old age pension over the limit, yet they want to give over 16s with every gadget invented free bus fares, mad bad times we live in

So you have money but think it is mad and bad to help people who don't? We all have to start somewhere and these young people will be the ones who pay for our pensions as the money we paid is all gone. Not all young people have every gadget and if they do have them, they are often hand me downs with very cheap tariffs which, incidentally, help them plan their journeys and updates them when buses are cancelled so they are not standing about at an out of the way bus stop putting them at risk by passing strangers with bad intentions.

My grandchildren live over 15 miles from the nearest town.All three of them were registered as child carers for their chronically ill mum yet they all still volunteered with mentally and physically disabled adults.
my oldest Gra daughter is still volunteering with young preteens and teens at the local youth club.Her sister at 14 is one of the youngest Marshall’s in motorsport ,though she depends on her dad to get her to events
The oldest 2 have worked in the local cafe while at school ,now have full time jobs and still help their mum with jobs around the house and take their share of cooking.
The “free” busses are a godsend it saves them well over £100 a month for necessary travel,,considering how much they saved the taxpayer in care fees they surely deserve some perks.
It also saves their dad running them to town or further on the few days a month he,s home.
And is stops them buying wee cars ,so they are helping the environment by cutting emissions.
In Scotland we also get free (I know it’s paid by tax) eye checks for all and dental checks for all and treatment for young folk .The theory is prevention is cheaper than more serious issues later .Makes sense to me.WE are high tax band in the Scottish system and happy to see it used where it’s helpful/needed.

I ave just had £7.65 a week pension credit taken off me because I inherited a few pounds which took my old age pension over the limit, yet they want to give over 16s with every gadget invented free bus fares, mad bad times we live in

Can’t remember the last time I saw a kid on a paper or milk round. The world has changed. Entry level jobs like hospitality and retail trainees are taken by graduates.
Young people now have a very hard time of trying to find training or work I think our older generations need to cut them some slack.
Our youngest has his first home at 23 but only because we were able to give him a significant chunk of money to help him. He works in what most would consider a menial job, though he has a first class degree in his niche, technical choice of career.

Ever notice how many mature staff are not seen at Super markets over the weekends?its mostly teenagers in the stores.
To prove the point have you ever purchased alcoholic drinks from the check out.The under 18's have to have the nod from one of the over 18's to allow them to conclude the transaction

Of course young people should get bus passes.
Free if they're in full time education, and reasonably priced after that.
I'm all for ALL of society to have access to transport which is resonably priced, safe (as much as it can be) and a real means of keeping lonely/disabled/old and young out and about, instead of festering away indoors.

How about reduced and/or off peak fares for under 16's.

Or better still walking or cycling?

A lot of youngsters seem to be ferried about everywhere but the their parents. Have they lost the use of their legs?

As for free school bus passes. Have they bitten the dust?

Where l live, back in day.All secondary school children could get a free school bus pass. If they lived more than 3 miles away from their school.

This was of course measured as the crow flies.

Rulers out at the ready!

Doodledog

Good point. Anything that encourages public transport and discourages selfish single-car use has to be a good thing.

I’m al for safety and security I don’t want my daughter on public transport
Tubes, trains? Buses walking between stops and stations no Thankyou

Excellent advice, Wheniwasyourage, thank you!

Seriously, I would assume that youngsters who use buses are helping keep those services going for other people, because some routes might not be viable without the children.

I’m sure it’s different in busy cities but buses here are rarely full and they need as many passengers as they can get.

infoman. I think that the jobs you mention are no longer available and it's very difficult now for youngsters to get any sort of part time job. I also think that over 16's should get free bus travel, many of them are still at school/college and money for travel to and from should not stop them pursuing their education. Even if they have left school and are working their wages are likely to be very low and quite frankly they need all the help they can get.

I volunteer in a community shop as my DGS does. He's in another town another country actually I get fed and have lovely cups of coffee on my shift but no cash. I have a pension so for me that is not a problem.

I really enjoy volunteering. It offers me so much more than I expected.
The shop/café employs a number of young people with additional needs. They are not paid but are happily occupied.
One girl recently began a catering course at a further education college.

Because there are plenty of volunteers, we are able to employ 9 staff. They are paid at slightly above minimum wage.

Sometimes our young volunteers get taken on as paid staff.

I under 18 year olds should get free or subsidised travel. My son turned 16 in the October in his last academic year in secondary education. Instantly his train fare to school doubled. He was still a child and it was ridiculous. Whilst he took tertiary education, he also paid full price even though he had no income of his own. It made more sense to teach him to drive so that he could take the second family car to school. His friend's parents loved him because he could save them money!

Unfortunately there is no need for paperboy's or girls anymore.
I've not seen a milkman for years as it's cheaper to get in the supermarket.
Hairdresser wash their clients hair as they can't afford to pay for a junior.
Supermarkets staff need to be over 18. Also they have self service tills so no reason to get staff.
Each job that is out there have over 50 applications.

Agree about youngsters volunteering for the experience but still no jobs

Way back majority of 16 years old were in work, and regarded as adults. Now a lot are still in school and regarded as children. No idea where they can find newspaper rounds, milk deliveries, even a proper job to fund their fares.

For the last few years my DGS, now 14 has volunteered in a community café every weekend for a few hours.
He is getting very good at serving tables, doing dishes etc. he has made friends too .
His parents pay him so that he has some pocket money.
I'm sure, as my DS and DDiLare too, that this work is a good thing. DGS is an only child and weekends can be lonely times. Here he has a home from home where he has company and feels useful.

He has heaps of confidence now.

I am completely in favour of over 16's getting free bus travel.

There are very few opportunities for 16 year olds to earn any money (apart from a very few cash-in-hand jobs.)

Many shops/ restaurants don't want to take them on because of rules involving breaks, insurance, not being allowed to use certain equipment or sell alcohol etc.

We live in a coastal town which is heaving with visitors in the summer holidays. Everywhere on Facebook there's posts from teenagers or their parents asking if anyone knows of temporary positions in restaurants or hotels for them to earn money and gain experience. Very few are lucky enough to find a job. We can only assume that establishments can't afford to employ them.
I'm paying teenage GD to "work" for me in order to keep her busy and to have some of her own money.

My grandchildren and great-nieces managed to find weekend jobs but have to rely on Mums and Dads to ferry them to and fro as there is no public transport anyway, free or not.

SueDonim

I’ve tried to find part-time jobs for my 8yo & 4yo grandchildren but demand for small chimney sweeps has fallen through the floor, I’m afraid.

Very good. I think the op will relate to your problem as they appear to be living in the 19th century.
OP. It’s. very hard out there at the moment. I live in Southend so you would assume with all the eateries, adventure island, sea world etc etc they would be crying out for youngsters to work for them: they’re not.
This is first hand knowledge from my own family and friend’s grandchildren.

I don't have a problem with under 16s having free bus travel Full Stop.
Nor under 18s who are in education or training.


SueDonim 😁

I don't have any problem with Under 16s having free bus travel.It seems that they need all the help they can get. Also it could be a constructive move. Society can't tell them to " get on their bike" to find work if they can't afford the bike.If any of these blasted " unexpected perverse consequences" raise their ugly head, the Government could soon reverse their decision.When I lived in London I benefited from Ken Livingstone's "Fares Fair" slightly- cheaper- transport policy. I was an adult with a full time job but London was (and still is) very expensive so it helped. If me, why not them?

Oreo

SueDonim

I’ve tried to find part-time jobs for my 8yo & 4yo grandchildren but demand for small chimney sweeps has fallen through the floor, I’m afraid.

There must be something the idle little scallywags could do to earn their crust?😁

Have you tried the cotton mills, where they could be employed to crawl under the machines to fix whatever it is that needs to be fixed there? You should emphasise their small size compared to adults when you approach potential employers, and of course, the less you feed them, the less they will grow.

When I was at school, living in

Infoman you do realise that the jobs that existed ‘in the old days’ don’t exist anymore and those that do are hard to come by? A cousin runs a milk round, he employs a retired man to help him. Our local newsagent doesn’t offer paper rounds because frequently the papers arrived too late to be delivered. Market traders can’t afford Saturday boys/girls, and most of them employ family. When I worked weekends, I was given cash in hand, £2 per day, these jobs no longer exist. So tell me, and stay true to your name, where do you think youngsters will get these jobs? Next thing you will be saying is that kids are snowflakes because they can’t travel independently on a bus. No, they can’t afford the (sometimes nonexistent) bus.

The BUT says it all !!!