Are people who use bus passes merely benefit scroungers?

[Pete]

Letter from the Derbyshire Times says they are at fault for budget cuts across Derbyshire.

http://bit.ly/1xuOlKA

[ironsky2]

Was talking to a lady pensioner yesterday on the bus on one of the routes facing the axe. She told me the best answer to all this is to go back to half fares then at least theres some money going in. I wouldn't call free travel holders scourges that's insulting but some do take advantage of it like get on the bus go all the way to somewhere then get on the next bus back without seeing the place they have travled too. Without getting into the blame game the cold truth is we can no longer afford it its pushing up fares and putting the councils into vast debt we can no longer carry on like this Iv talked to quite a few pensioners most agree not all, that this system is not working. The one answer to this is get rid of the Gold Card and passes reduce fares for everyone across the board so everyone pays the same.

[Fly]

I think that's a bit of a strong comment, scroungers.
They are only having what they have been given.
The decision to give them it is questionable. It certainley didn't do me any good as a taxi driver.
Everybody started using the free buses !! 

[Old Cruser]

How come we never heard these accusations before this government came in and began their brainwashing of the British people.
The bus pass was widely offered and advertised, just because a person takes up the offer doesn't make them a scrounger.

[therealjr]

Hate to sound like a lurker but the actual blame lies with the Labour government of Blair/Brown. They brought this scheme in but failed to properly fund it.

[Scimitar]

If I'm right, Mr Blair introduced this scheme. All well and good.Government funded local authorities to subsidise local bus companies accordingly. Also there was a reduction in fuel prices for Public Transport.
Most of the above have gone. The Bus companies have absorbed these reductions, whilst spending millions I guess in providing cheaper greener transport, because of EU legislation, & to cut running costs/emissions etc.
I've just been in the industry long enough to remember concessionary travel for kids & Senior citizens prior to Gold Card free travel.
Are people who use bus passes merely benefit scroungers? Certainly not.
But I can remember that Senior Citizens used to quite happily pay concessionary fare. I started driving buses in 2005.
It's a delicate balance I guess-luckily Stagecoach do not operate too many council funded routes - perhaps they saw this coming.
But I should think that TM travel are going to struggle without funding - some bus companies will go under without a doubt.
Bus companies will undoubtedly re-think their under used currently DCC contracted services early morning/late evening on a profitability basis & adjust them accordingly. They have to, it's a business after all.
All this remains to be seen for now, so, it's purely speculative from my point of view

[ironsky2]

Hate to sound like a lurker but the actual blame lies with the Labour government of Blair/Brown. They brought this scheme in but failed to properly fund it.

Correct JR. The whole free travel scheme was brought out under Brown's government as a voting ploy they belived that by giving pensioners free travel they would keep voting for them so pensioners could keep there free travel. One problem with this grand plan - how to fund it long term they hadn't a clue no other country has such a scheme as they know its impossible to keep funding it. It would have been better to have retained half fare travel which could have been used to fund the lesser used  but needed routes.

[Scimitar]

Correct JR. The whole free travel scheme was brought out under Brown's government as a voting ploy they belived that by giving pensioners free travel they would keep voting for them so pensioners could keep there free travel. One problem with this grand plan - how to fund it long term they hadn't a clue no other country has such a scheme as they know its impossible to keep funding it. It would have been better to have retained half fare travel which could have been used to fund the lesser used  but needed routes.

Has a potential knock on effect in terms drivers employed, & pay awards too.

[therealjr]

I may have told this story before but the man who used to administer the scheme was talking to his mother and she told him that she and his auntie had been to Bakewell that day.
When he asked her why she said 'Because we can for free'!
As far as he was concerned that summed up what was wrong with the scheme.

[ironsky2]

Has a potential knock on effect in terms drivers employed, & pay awards too.

The sad truth is no one wins we really don't need more unemployment theres far too much of it now. The only way forward that I can see is scrap all passes and bring out low fares for everyone it wouldn't be popular desion but it may save jobs and routes.

[Scimitar]

The sad truth is no one wins we really don't need more unemployment theres far too much of it now. The only way forward that I can see is scrap all passes and bring out low fares for everyone it wouldn't be popular desion but it may save jobs and routes.

B-line students no longer have any concession thanks to DCC. It's same as child fare.Surely OAP's could pay the same.
Plus it would stop the awful rush at 9.30 in the morning because the OAP's come out in force shortly prior to that stopping you at every stop insisting it's 9.30 by their watch when its only 9.25, & our ticket machines won't accept their cards. Then you tell them they have to pay & it gets uncomfortable because your denying them their "free access" & you are keeping them in the cold & wet.
Another problem arises - the 9.30 limit was set so that paying customers could get to work without the influx of OAP's going to Town. If they have to pay, they will, and overcrowd the early morning bus commute. Therefore I suggest FULL fare for OAP's before 9.30, same as it is now, and a concessionary fare - yet to be decided thereafter. More than children have to pay I would suggest. Yet I think we should keep disabled passes to a degree - depends on the ability of the disabled persons willingness to overcome his/her apparent disability. E.g the drug user, the alcoholic, but I'm going deeper than I should. My thoughts anyway

[ironsky2]

Where I live you see Pensioners trying to get on the 9.30am knowing they can't use there Gold Card if the driver tells them they will have to pay all hell breaks lose. The 10am bus is just as bad ( I know they can use it at that time) but its one mad rush for it then the buses which run after it are running about empty then the same people come back on the 12pm bus! I really don't understand this mad panic for the 9.30 am and 10am buses its not as if the bus service finished at noon and that was it because of this carry on the bus route is on the council hit list now as no one use the later buses. I know of a lady who works in town she catchers the 10am bus its rare she can find a seat on bus not good when your stood up all day at work. If Pensioners had to pay full or half fare it would stop this crazy mad rush for the early buses and would improve time keeping on bus routes. 

[Pastitman]

 I wouldn't call free travel holders scroungers, that's insulting but some do take advantage of it like get on the bus go all the way to somewhere then get on the next bus back without seeing the place they have travelled to.
[/quote]

I  do  agree  that  there  are  a  minority of  people  that  ride  around  for  no  other  purpose  but  for  something  to  do  and  its  free  but  there  are  far  more  that  travel  to  wherever,  spend  the  day  and  spend  money.  Surely  this  could  come  to  a  stop  if  the  passes  were  removed, as  many  users  would  just  not  go  out. Yes,  Mr. Blair  and  Mr. Brown  introduced  the  scheme  but  was  it  a  sweetener  to  those   seeing  their  future  pensions  being  rapidly  reduced. The  scheme  was  probably  not  set  up  right,  one  reason  being  that  they  were  initially  issued  to  sixty  year  olds,  many  who  were  still  working, which  was  a  mistake. A  debatable  subject  which  I  suppose  will  go  on,  for  example.  would  there  be  as  many  new  buses  around,  would  they  run  so  often  and  as  I  have  every  sympathy  for  taxi  drivers  etc,  sorry  but  I  really  can,t  see  everyone  rushing  to  book  a  cab  if  the  scheme  were  abolished.   

[Scimitar]

A colleague Bus driver tells me of a couple of senior citizens boarding the bus from chesterfield to sheffield (after 9.30am). On arrival in sheffield - they walk up to the driver & re-scan their cards & sit back down again, & travel all the way back to chesterfield!
I doubt they were bus spotters (it wan't the x17).
Maybe it passes on a couple of hours for them in the warm & dry. a bit sad if that's the case.

[Slacker]

Can help the elderly to come to terms with giving up their car