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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think kids should go free on buses?

167 replies

3asAbird · 21/12/2013 09:08

I know they do travel free in london if under 16.

here its free until 5

but most of time they never ask me to pay for 7year old.

really depends what bus drivers we get.
fares seem to vary on same route like they made a na error.

everyone moans about first bus and how extortionate they are.
they never on time
bus drivers can be rude and seem to hate kids.

one had go at me for giving him change think there was few coppers with the silver.

ours frequently dont have change and give change tickets which have to eb take to bus station or first shop which means frequenly i never see the money back.

i rarly take the bus with kids as its flipping stressful

but sometimes from local high street as the main road long abut mile if weathers bad its now £1.50 each way so return would cost £3 for 1mile.
day riders £4 each and family day rider £10 but worked out summer sometimes cheaper hubby drive into city centre and park.

anyway last night we did some shopping food up high street. cash machine wasent working so had £1.50 on me, it was dark and raining.

kids asked if we take bus so girls sat down 2younger ones under 5 3kids.

the bus driver dident argue she wanted eldest to pay due to age.

she said was first rules only 2free kids with 1 fullpaying adults.
never heard that rule before, some could say when you chanced it and lost.

so we had to get off shame of everyone on bus looking.
small boy crying in his buggy.
we were only going like 3 stops .

some of you might say aibu you should pay you fare ddger but rules seem to vary on driver and route they shouldent never know what to expect.

i hate taking bus most of time as people can be so horrid.

last time had 2 oaps have go at me over my well behaved kids.
got off stop early.

we live distance from school bus that bus route so unreliable and would work out so expensive we walk the 1.2 miles.

myself and kids quite used to walking now so often walk what most people say long distances not helped by some areas even close by ones being 2buses.

often theres not enough room many buggies.

but i have been thinking last few months/

hear people say what strain bus fees are to senior schools £60 a month here yet educations pretty much compulsary unless you home ed and you get whichever school council allocate you.

even if within 2miles can be long walk for little reception child.

i wonder what happens with unemployed and job centre?
as nearest job centres 6miles £6 return or 4miles,2buses £4.

my 2 wealthy car driving neighbours with their free bus passes are often going on nice shopping trips or days out with theres.

which makes me think.

why oaps get free travel but not kids?

im lucky every things walkable and rarly rely on bus but for those who do must be huge cost.

so every time i walk up long rd in wet/snow and see bus whizz past with mostly oaps i think god the uks so fair not!

OP posts:
Nanny0gg · 21/12/2013 09:10

why oaps get free travel but not kids?

Because they might find it harder to walk than children do, due to health issues and infirmity?

NoComet · 21/12/2013 09:17

I don't know about DCs, but I do know the job centre is a total pita

The nice lad next door is in and out of temporary work and on and off benefits.

If, as frequently happens, with people in and out of work, the benefit system messes up, he has no money.

They then demand he turns up for an interview to sort it out.

It's a three mile walk and a 12 mile bus ride and clearly he doesn't have the sodding bus fare!

GodRestTEEMerryGenTEEmen · 21/12/2013 09:17
Hmm
LIZS · 21/12/2013 09:17

I think you'd find unemployed(at least those on JSA/ESA) would qualify for a pass and school travel is often subsidised if nearest school is some distance away, although our LA threatens to cut this back each year. If your eldest is over 5 then you should expect to pay for them. Could you not have got cashback if atm was out of use , or used another bank's one ? yabu to expect to avoid the fare.

ComposHat · 21/12/2013 09:21

Lost the will to live halfway down.

But as a general comment, it seems absurd that we hand out free bus passes to extremely wealthy pensioners, I can't think of any reason apart from political expediency why we give free bus travel to millionaire pensioners, yet expect the unemployed to pay full fare. Like a lot of of supplementary benefits pensioners get, they should be means tested.

insancerre · 21/12/2013 09:21

where i live blackpool transport have done away with child fares after 9pm, children have to pay full fare!

OttilieKnackered · 21/12/2013 09:22

Why shouldn't kids pay? They take up a seat and travel the distance. You've essentially been fare dodging every time your seven year old doesn't pay. Well done you.

If kids don't pay, everyone else has to pay more. As someone with no kids that doesn't drive, the idea doesn't particularly appeal to me, thanks.

DorrisM · 21/12/2013 09:24

Yanbu it costs me £88 per month for my two dd's to take the bus to school.

Filimou · 21/12/2013 09:25

::waves:: to insancerre. (Thought I was the only Fylde Coaster here!! Shock Grin )
I try and avoid blackpool transport like the plague. Over priced, crap services, rude drivers and filthy buses.....

scaevola · 21/12/2013 09:25

It's not "free"

Yes, in London the child does not pay at point of boarding. But the driver logs the journey (clicks something if small child, bigger ones swipe ZIP) and then the London Council Tax payer fools the bill.

Same in all E/W regions. The bus operating company bills the local authority.

So OP, you need to to find out the exact costs for subsidised bus journeys already in your area. Then an estimate of how many child journeys there are, and what the reduction would cost.

Then you have the basic start point from which to campaign for local support. The obvious question you will need a good answer for is how it will be paid for (would a countervailing cut be needed? Where would it come from?)

And have you thought about standing as a councillor yourself?

I think people do need to be significantly mre involved in local politics. Because it is issues like this one which make a big difference to real lives.

DameDeepRedBetty · 21/12/2013 09:26

School buses or taxis are free if the allocated catchment school is more than two miles (for primary) or three miles (secondary).

These distances are measured 'as the crow flies' and not as the actual walking/cycling/driving route. One of the other families in Reception when we started had been assessed as being 1.9 miles away, and it took the mother most of the first term to get the LEA to understand that the huge green blob on the map directly between her home and the school was a private country estate with no rights of way and trigger happy security guards wandering about at will. The shortest accessible route was about five miles.

Last time I was involved with the benefits system, the method to claim back the cost of travel was so convoluted I gave up. Thankfully I got work organised within a couple of weeks.

MammaTJ · 21/12/2013 09:27

I live in a town popular with retired people. I often get on the bus and find I am the only person who has paid.

The only times the bus is full of people who have paid it the morning bus, taking children to school and the after sool bus, taking them home again.

I think the entire service would be scrapped if children didn't have to pay either.

MammaTJ · 21/12/2013 09:27

School*. Not sure what happened to the CH there!

Grennie · 21/12/2013 09:28

YABU. Kids can walk or be in pushchairs.

3asAbird · 21/12/2013 09:29

thanks liz as i explained rules are so variable and reason asked to pay was 2 kid rule which never hear of.

i avoid buses at all costs so occasional user.
used last week and got given £1 change ticket in other handbag forgot about until bus left so fisrt bus already had extra money from me over the year if flipping change tickets.

i would never evade fares myself.

im not saying oaps shouldent have free bus passes although i do think stupid needs be means tested.

but people who need buses to

go work pay taxes
go job intereveiws or sign on

there was something in news about people signing on more frequently think was every 3days or per week but that would cost £24 month to one job centre if weekly and £16 to the other one.

many dont have cars or can afford to run them.

just seems education or employment not as highly regarded.

heard about locals walking 6miles each way to nearest food bank.

little people reception age often are not great at walking know a few who still use a buggy often its ok if weather good but ifs its freezing or heavy rain.

i guess londoners get free travel as devolved issue like prescriptions in wales.

should oaps with cars /or very high income get a bus pass?
i think tehy get train free too yet comuters are paying stupid amounts for train travel used to take train to work myself in past.

they keep saying they want less cars on road and more to use public transports but when its stressful, costly and late can see why people dont.

it must limit peoples choice of schools if they factor in travel costs and be detterent in grammer school areas.

OP posts:
RedLondonBus · 21/12/2013 09:31

liz you don't get a bus pass when on JSA!

Kids free op..... So all under 18's to have free travel?

MincedMuffPies · 21/12/2013 09:33

OP I have the same problem. Most of the time the driver doesn't bother taking for the dc.

We have first as well they are shit. They have atopped doing returns now. 2 singles everyday has added a pound on. It's shit.

Shit shit shit I hate the bus.

BringBackBod · 21/12/2013 09:33

I have no problem with children paying bus fares over the age of 5.
I do however get annoyed when they decide to abolish things such as child day riders so that parents have to fork out for an adult one, or pay for every single journey separately.

I also agree with compo
It does seem unfair that wealthy pensioners can travel for free, when others really struggle to find bus fare.

SanityClause · 21/12/2013 09:33

The bus companies should pay for the free transport, instead of being subsidised to do it.

Bus contracts are extremely lucrative, and yet we (the taxpayers) are subsidising the bus companies!

3asAbird · 21/12/2013 09:40

well under 16 or 18 yep as they techically have none of their own income.

or even if just used for school runs not leisure be a start,
i had free bus pass in college and would have struggled without it.
16-18year olds lost their ema.

claiming backs problem if dont have money upfront in first place which is why its probably struggle for unemployed.

I knew i provoke a reaction but can assure you we rarly take bus and amount change tickets had this year im probably even with first not to mention the extortionate prices paid for short journeys .

Theres been lots changes latly which could explain this new 2kids rule.
but they done away with returns so some shorter journeys which mostly what i do cost more as another local mum on fb said thanks first bus now it costs me more get to local shops.

its mostly cheaper long distances to get day rider at £4.

i know london subsidise kids travel but expect revenue from council tax in london must be bigger than other areas due to so many high value properties.

saw bit on tv janet street porter argueing why shes should keep her bus pass yet im the entitled fare dodger.

OP posts:
pumpkinsweetie · 21/12/2013 09:42

Yanbu, here children get on the bus free up until 5.

I agree with you because after paying for my dc, they are lucky to even get a seat as our buses have a tendency to be late so the buses are frequently crowded.

scaevola · 21/12/2013 09:45

"I often get on the bus and find I am the only person who has paid. "

You are the only person who has bought a ticket.

All the others are paid for through the Council Tax (directly, and via national grant).

Your council will need to foot the bill of the extra concessionary journeys. How would they do that?

CiderBomb · 21/12/2013 09:46

How do you know your neighbours are wealthy just because they drive a car? I drive a car and am certainly anything but wealthy.

Binkyridesagain · 21/12/2013 09:47

My MIL would never take a bus, it was beneath her. Until she reached retirement age and the free bus pass arrived, now its the transport of choice because Hey its free. She does not need it, she can afford to pay and the only reason 'she lowers herself' is because she doesn't have to pay, unless of course she's Tw'early, then she moans like merry bloody hell because she has to pay a reduced cost.

Branleuse · 21/12/2013 09:48

YANBU

I do not understand why only london kids get free transport