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Travel passes, TV licences etc - is this fair?

(58 Posts)
Moocow Wed 04-Dec-19 10:06:28

I second what hetty said but not just for London. London is only highlighted because it's the capital, everywhere else gets a snippet of publicity or totally forgotten. So many would like to be able to use public transport but the timings and links just do not work for the greater majority- I speak from personal experiences over many instances and many many years.

Calendargirl Wed 04-Dec-19 10:05:57

Agree FlexibleFriend

Bus passes are linked to state pension age in other parts of the country, why not the same in London?

FlexibleFriend Wed 04-Dec-19 10:01:01

I'm a Londoner aged 65 I have no free travel pass and think they should fall in line with pension age. So when you get your pension you become eligible for free travel and not before.

Hetty58 Wed 04-Dec-19 09:57:12

Means testing is very expensive, involves a lot of admin, fraud checking and updating. It's more cost-efficient, overall, to just make these benefits universal. When I use a bus or train, there are always plenty of empty seats anyway - so I'm not really 'costing' much at all!

Jabberwok Wed 04-Dec-19 09:55:36

Or even 70. 60 these days is too young for any freebies.

Hetty58 Wed 04-Dec-19 09:53:30

I think anything that encourages people to use public transport, rather than drive, should be considered a priority in London now. We have traffic congestion, parking problems and terrible air pollution, after all!

Persistentdonor Wed 04-Dec-19 09:48:00

It might be reasonable to change the minimum age to 65 perhaps?

LaraGransnet (GNHQ) Wed 04-Dec-19 09:45:55

A report out today suggests that phasing out a transport pass for Londoners aged 60-65 should be considered because those eligible are often richer than younger people.
The Centre for London also called for TfL to scrap the 60+ Oyster card and the additional nominee pass for TfL employees.
What do you think? Should these benefits all be means tested?
What about the other benefits that apply to over 60s?
We've been asked to talk about this on Sky News today and would love to have your views.