to think new mums should be given free bus travel?

[bella411]

I know there's a recession and it is more an idealism but why couldn't / shouldn't new mums have free bus travel during their maternity leave run much in the same way as pensioner bus travel. Money is often tight they have appointments to go to such as drs and health centre and maybe even hospitsl visits.

My "local" play groups are all not really walking distance, neither is my drs. Also visiting friends and family I have to rely on them picking me up or public transport.

Where I live the public transport is good and reasonably priced £3.40 for unlimited daily travel.

But I feel in free bus passes were given it may help encourage some new mums to get out and visit more playgroups and maybe even get out more.

What do other people think?

Single people may not be bringing up the next generation but it could be argued that working, paying taxes, not using schooling, paying for prescriptions etc is just as important! If no one did that, the country would be in an even sorrier state.

Single people may not be bringing up the next generation but it could be argued that working, paying taxes, not using schooling, paying for prescriptions etc is just as important! If no one did that, the country would be in an even sorrier state.

I don't think parents deserve to get free travel purely because they are doing the job of bringing up the next generation of tax payers I think that children deserve to have the oppertunity to be taken out and I believe that more mobile independant parents would decrease the amount of depression in early parenthood, decrease isolation and thereby saving money in other departments.

Yes, about time the single people got something for a change!

YABU new mothers got free prescriptions and dental treatments rightly for the first year after birth. But how can you justify bus fare coming out of the public purse?

I have a bus pass because I have epilepsy. I can't say I have unlimited freedom, some days I'm too ill to go out. My kids walk to school, so my condition has a healthy side effect on them. I only ask for a lift if I really have too.

YABVVU

I think people should stop thinking about what they can get for free from society and starts thinking about how they contribute to society. .

If I was going to give free travel it would be to low wage earners.. ie people who actually have to pay their travel to earn a living ..I would definitely not give it to mums.. you have all day - walk!

And I think free school buses would be in order. . American style. ..

Apple
I can't accept that it wouldn't cost anything. It's too easy to say let's throw money about now and it will all come good in the future, somehow.
That's been done for years and it didn't work - it's one reason why the country is bankrupt. It's why the younger generation are suffering from the debts the older ones built up.
I repeat that nothing comes free. We have to pay our way.

"people with certain health problems get a free bus pass (I used to have one). Why not parents with young children?"

Are you serious? It's because having a baby is not a disability!

Entitled much?? YABVU but so funny

Arf at Candy

^^""people with certain health problems get a free bus pass (I used to have one). Why not parents with young children?"
"Are you serious? It's because having a baby is not a disability!" ^^

Tis a funny thing, mothers often confuse the two, especially comes out on threads here... And won't be persuaded however much it's explained to them. I suspect it comes from an underlying perception of net worth.

SALLY well I do agree that we can't afford to spend money on things that have no economic benefit and things such as some benefits just reinforce some social problems.

However, if we can avoid costly social problems such as depression in young mums, the elderly and the disabled by reducing social isolation, provide the means for the unemployed and lower paid to get work more easily and enhance the development of the young by providing opportunities, then we can save money and create wealth in the long run.

To those concerned about the single 'putting in and not getting out' I would say we nonev of us know what the future holds. Life events like ill health and redundancy can affect anyone and then support is provided by other people and their children.

It all hinges on the type of society we want, focusing on the individual and the here and now or looking to the greater good and the future.

We do (rightly) put in financial provisions for parents. It's just not for free travel!

elliejjtiny...I did say you can get pre-payment certificates for prescriptions, I also said that having to pay for them is a lot of money when you have to pay £100 for one and people who don't need free prescriptions have access to this service.

Sorry wombat, I thought you said you could only get a yearly one. I think the yearly one works out a bit cheaper but I get the monthly one because like you said, it's a lot of money up front.

Someone in my NCT branch said something about people with pushchairs getting on public transport for free in Finland. Or slings presumably!
Where I live it costs me £4.20 return to the town centre, which is around 2.5 miles away.
I would go further and make local buses free for everyone. It would cost a lot but would save on road building and ease congestion.
Failing that I would like to see free bus travel for under-18s on weekdays to reduce school run traffic.

My three year old has to walk over a mile to nursery every morning. Then home, then back out to pick siblings up later in the day. She walks four miles every day. Whatever the weather. She is three and does this every day without too much complaining.

How far away are your baby groups? I think if you choose to live very rurally you have to accept it will cost you (petrol or bus fares) to get to where things happen, ie towns. And most adults are capable of walking a couple of miles a couple of times a week to get somewhere they need to go to. I also wish our local bus company did all day travel for £3.40, but that wouldn't help the nursery walk as it would mean two different bus companies and the timings would be way off anyway. YABU.

Yeah the annual one works out cheaper in the long run but suppose either is cheaper than 8 x prescription charges (i don't even know what they charge these days)!