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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:
IneedAsockamnesty · 21/12/2013 15:27

sooty

Its cos people on benefit get everything free, didnt you know?

Disclaimer that's a joke I know they don't.

NiceTabard · 21/12/2013 15:34

sooty I guess that's a question for the Mayor's office / London Assembly.

Certainly I think that at the moment (and even with a tory in the main seat) there is a huge commitment to public transport policy in London, so if you think that needs looking at it's in the Mayor's remit as I understand it.

NiceTabard · 21/12/2013 15:39

eg they are spending money (and have been for quite a few years) on upgrades on the tube, improving accessibility and so on. It is all tremendously expensive, but without a modern reliable public transport network London will grind to a halt and again be heavily polluted which costs thousands of lives at the moment anyway (even with air quality improvements over the years).

You look to many major cities overseas and the transport is really available to all but the very poorest - I think it should be that way here too. It seems extraordinary that ordinary people can't afford to leave the place where they live to go to appts / the shops and so on. And I think it is really detrimental to society as a whole.

BohemianGirl · 21/12/2013 15:41

As said, free oysters in London for under 19's , I fail to see why this isnt extended country wide.

NiceTabard · 21/12/2013 15:45

Well I mean obviously teh very poorest should be able to get around too!

Just looking at the sort of prices for day passes and it's just so much cheaper than London (and indeed the rest of the country).

ilovesooty · 21/12/2013 15:49

sock Grin

NiceTabard I can see much of what you're saying and it is indeed in the county's interest to have a London transport infrastructure that isn't creaking and outdated. I want to see investment in public transport and people to be empowered by using it - in all areas of the country. I do remain worried by children of all ages, and over 60s of any income who are still working being offered free transport while people on JSA struggle to get to appointments to sign on. That doesn't seem at all right to me. I don't like the prority which offers free transport to certain people regardless of income while ohers can lose their entire income through being unable to afford to travel.

ilovesooty · 21/12/2013 15:52

As said, free oysters in London for under 19's , I fail to see why this isnt extended country wide

Because regional transport is run by a mish mash of private companies. And why should such expensive provision be available to under 19s regardless of family income?

BabyMummy29 · 21/12/2013 15:55

I'd rather kids went free on buses than old people. It annoys me that my mother and her cronies - all retired teachers with pots of money - get to travel for nothing.

ilovesooty · 21/12/2013 15:59

I'd rather kids went free on buses than old people. It annoys me that my mother and her cronies - all retired teachers with pots of money - get to travel for nothing

How do you know they all have "pots of money" Perhaps (hopefully) it's more the lack of means testing you object to. Why should the children of affluent parents travel for nothing?

BabyMummy29 · 21/12/2013 16:03

I know they have loads of money because they never tire of talking about it. Keep rubbing it in about how they earn more from their pensions that most people do who are working.

Anyway I never travel on buses so it doesn't bother me particularly

glasgowsteven · 21/12/2013 16:08

Totally agree all oap s should not free free travel,

However, if all under sixteens got it unaccompanied, buses would be more horrendous

ilovesooty · 21/12/2013 16:09

So first of all it "annoys you" then it "doesn't bother you particularly" as you "never travel on buses". Riiiight.

BabyMummy29 · 21/12/2013 17:59

I was offering my opinion to the OP.

The principle of OAPs getting free bus travel annoys me.

I don't travel on buses so it doesn't affect me personally, but I'm still allowed to have an opinion even if you don't seem to think I should.

NigellasDealer · 21/12/2013 18:05

it is more expensive to travel in London. Have you ever been to London? It's difficult to find somewhere to park etc compared to other Cities
not its not

candycoatedwaterdrops · 21/12/2013 18:37

Racism and disablism always gets shot down on MN, as it should, but ageism is often allowed to stand. Remember, you might be old one day!

HesterShaw · 21/12/2013 18:42

I don't see anything ageist in saying that I don't agree with every person over 60 having free bus travel, and that I think it should be a little more discerning in terms of need. I said, for instance, my mother doesn't NEED hers but uses it very frequently. That's not true of every 66 year old of course.

And I'm fairly certain today's 30s/40s won't get free bus travel. That's not ageist either!

candycoatedwaterdrops · 21/12/2013 18:46

Hester I do agree that it's not ageist to say not every pensioner needs a free bus pass but the comments about how that generation had it so easy and are rolling in it does make me a bit Hmm.

HoHoHopelessAtNamingBabies · 21/12/2013 18:53

I live in London and some kids round here hop on and off of the buses to save them walking just a few hundred metres. I stood at the bus stop the other day with three teenagers who waited over five minutes, got on the bus for one stop (a walk which would have been less than the wait) and straight into McDonalds less than a few steps from the stop.

DeWe · 21/12/2013 19:11

We pay 2/3rd fare for children. That means that me taking my 3dc into town on the bus (3 miles away) is over £10. parking £1.60. No, doesn't sell it to me. Wink But the drivers were always lovely to my dc, giving them their own "ticket" when they were too young, chatting to them etc.

But I'm not totally convinced by free for under 16s. Before dc3 came along I didn't drive and was a regular user. I noticed that as a very generalised rule you got teenage groups (often 5+ in a group) would take the bus very short distances, particularly home from school. I'm talking about less than 10 minute walk-often taking as long on the bus as they would to walk.
If it was free I suspect strongly that would increase. And it delayed the bus considerably, as they'd be getting off at various different ones, talking backwards to friends as they got off.
To put that as my experience. Buses were every 20 minutes. Usually within about 5 minutes of due time. Bus at 3.25 that had a big pick up from school was almost never there before 4:00-I lived 20 minutes walk from the school, most of the children had got off before I got on.

I'd take away the free bus pass for OAPs too though. Having got to know the buses very well, it made almost no difference to those using the buses. Those who already did, got a perk of not having to pay. Those who didn't, continued not to.

expatinscotland · 21/12/2013 19:29

I've been saying it for years: means test the bus passes and raise the age. 60 is not old.

spidey66 · 21/12/2013 19:39

It's a PITA having kids go free on buses. The buses are mobile youth clubs in London with teenagers just using them for 1 or 2 stops, and they wonder why kids ain't getting any exercise.

drudgetrudy · 21/12/2013 20:12

I'm at the young end of OAP. Some of my friends (similar age) walked the coast to coast path this summer. I have some health issues which would stop me doing that, but it would still be easier for me to walk a couple of miles into town than for my DD to walk four under 7s into town. Some over 60s colleagues when I was still working last year had stopped bringing their car to work and were coming in free on the bus. Perhaps there could be a better balance with free transport at 70+ or for those with a registered disability and primary school aged children going free during the day.

feckawwf · 21/12/2013 20:14

It would certainly help me if kids fares were free! It costs me £240 per month just to send my 3dc to school on buses, we live around 2.5 miles away from school and the minimum to qualify for bus pass is 3 miles so we just miss out Hmm not really free education is it!

HesterShaw · 21/12/2013 20:18

That's a good suggestion, drudge. We keep being told 60 is not old and we'll be working til 67/68. So 70 seems more suitable, along with bigger concessions for younger people who actually need it.

Feck £240 a month Shock

ilovesooty · 21/12/2013 20:31

70 seems quite reasonable. You have to renew your driving licence then anyway. And means testing unless you have a disability would be fine. I still don't see why children of well off parents should travel free and I think free passes do discourage walking while older children and teenagers don'tget enou gh exercise.