To think bus company should let OAPs on at 9.27

[Mitmoo]

My mum can hardly walk, degenerative heart disease and nearing 80, the bus driver couldn't let her on as it was 9.27 and the bus was not even half full. He was very apologetic but said he could lose his job if he did.

AIBU for thinking the bus company are being unreasonable for not allowing drivers to use their common sense. ie. empty bus, let the OAPs on a few minutes earlier than they are supposed to?

Mitmoo, the way it works with free bus passes is that the bus company keeps an electronic record of all journeys undertaken by pensioners and then it charges the cost back to the Local Authority.

Most Local Authorities are not getting the full cash amount from government that it costs to run the free bus pass service.

Allowing 'off peak' journeys is all that is affordable for Local Authorities. And that means all journeys have to begin at or after 9.30am.

What you can do, however, is lobby your local Council to increase the validity if the free passes to include all services all day.

EdithWeston, that is unfair to people who work, who actually pay for their passes and who have no choice but to ride at peak times.

My buses and trainsa re already so full of school children in the morning that I struggle to get on board. School children alos have no choice but to travel in the early morning to get to school on time. If pensioners were allowed to travel free 24/7 this would increase the congestion considerably. There is need for them to travel so early, they don't work and don't need to be anywhere in particular every weekday morning. If they have the odd early doctors appt they can pay for their fare to travel outside the pass validity.

If free travel round the clock was introduced, the OAP's can damn well stand up. I'm not giving up seat for them when I pay £2000 a year.

No need for them to travel so early.

And if they do have a need to travel so early, then they can pay, like the rest of us mere mortals have to do... :)

but she wasn't refused travel was she - she was just expected to pay
if they say 9.27 can be 9.30 why not 9.20 can be 9.30 or 9.15 can be 9.30
you either pay or wait for the free time

Just read this thread and it's reminded me to get on to my county council. Up till this year children have been able to travel for 45p flat fare throughout August. This year, it's one child concession per TWO fare-paying passengers!

Now let me think in how many ways does this discriminate against single parents (try finding another adult to come with you on the bus!) AND disabled parents who have a free pass. And discouraging children from exploring the county independently (although that's not against the law as yet).

Obviously it's the bus company's change of policy but I think the council (who subsidise the company) would be the right people to tell them they were in the wrong.

That does sound ridiculous. I would say the majority of the time it is one parent taking the child out, while the other works.

I still don't understand why the OP's mum couldn't've just paid her fare if she was so concerned about getting to hospital on time?

I also have to take two buses to get to hospital. It costs about £4 for a return where I am (through my suburb, right across town, and out the other side). I wouldn't want to pay that every day but for a one-off appointment it's not the end of the world, unless you're really destitute.

The whole point of the NHS's 'Choose and Book' service is to allow pensioners to ask for a time of day when they can afford to get there; or the hospital should arrange patient transport if it is for an early clinic.

I went to Neighbourhood Watch Meeting [fucking sad, I know] last year where a 60 year old was moaning that she couldn't use her free bus pass to get to work. We were all a bit