To think that they make it purposefully impossible to apply successfully for an over 60’s bus pass?

[GreekDogRescue]

I am over 60 and have been trying to apply for my over 60’s Oyster card for some time now.

I have my passport, my driving licence, utility bills, my NI number and inside leg measurement but the online form refuses to accept the photo of my passport. It also refuses to let accept my driving licence details.

instead of asking for your passport or driving licence number like any ‘normal’ form, it wants all the tiny letters and symbols at the bottom, and they have to be put into 5 special boxes.

it says I can download a form to take to a post office but gives no details of this mythological form.

I went to a post office but they said they stopped doing over 60’s applications ‘ages ago’.

I have paid my taxes all my life and am furious that this is being made so difficult. It is highly discriminatory as there will be many elderly people who just give up. None of my over 60 friends have managed to crack it either.

I would like to sue London Transport for age discrimination 🤬

PS. I did manage to submit my passport application online but this is MUCH harder

You’ll just get a load of people saying you shouldn’t get free transport at 60.

l’m 59. Haven’t really thought about free transport. Bus service just been cut in half in the city l live in so hardly worth having round me.

I’m rural so it’s about 2 buses a week here- at least Londoners get something useful! And the eligibility ought to match the current pension age anyway.

Most people in England don't get a free bus pass at 60.

I think they do. Dh got told he could have it at 60. He never uses it. My friend got one at 60.

Its pointless really. Most places hardly have any public transport. Except London of course.

60 is not elderly.

Loads of over 60s manage to apply for it successfully so I don't believe it's as difficult as you claim.

And of course in many areas you'd have to wait until state pension age so you can hardly claim age discrimination.

I must admit I found it very easy and AFAIK none of my friends struggled.

have you tried calling them? They were very helpful when I lost my Oyster.

Ask to see their vulnerable customer policy. At the very least they should be using large print.

London Transport offer free off peak transport to Londoners over 60@ArseInTheCoOpWindow It is not a figment of my imagination

*Of course it is not free as we pay for it in our taxes

I'm 61 and I can't get a bus pass until 65 here.

I know they don't.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-travel-concession-authorities-on-the-england-national-concessionary-travel-scheme/guidance-for-travel-concession-authorities-on-the-england-national-concessionary-travel-scheme#:~:text=Eligible%20people&text=1.1%20There%20are%202%20broad,was%2060%20years%20of%20age.

1.2 Previously the eligible age for concessionary travel was 60 years of age. However, since 6 April 2010, the age of eligibility for concessionary travel in England has been tied to the pensionable age for women. So, as the pensionable age for women gradually increases from 60 to 65 so too will the age of eligibility for concessionary travel increase for both men and women.

In Wigan here, Greater Manchester , we only get our free bus pass at state pension age . It's very unfair how the bus passes are so distributed across the UK.

Feel a bit peeved about public transport in London.

We have nothing in the north. Except fucking useless Trans Penine Express. And shite bus service. Why would l need a free transport pass? Where would l use it?🤨

It's State Pension Age here. Friend is about to get hers at 66.

I cant see any reference to a form online OP, only online applications. Have you ensured your photos are meeting the requirement of being under 6mb and in .png or .jpg ?

Have you tried using a different browser? What do you mean by the symbols at the bottom? Do you get an error message?

Unless you get a disability bus pass, most outside London, don’t get a free bus pass until retirement, I’m 60 and live in south east, I get one on disability, I won’t retire till 67.

@AuntieJoyce I would love to ask for their vulnerable customer policy but there is no one to ask.
I’ll just have to keep
using my OH’s.

@Nsky62 You get a free off peak bus and travel pass if you live in London.
my OH has one.
it really is a thing!

It’s not purposely designed to be difficult, it’s just badly designed IT, probably because they tried to do it on the cheap.

I did mine last year - found it really easy.

I'm guessing most people of 60+ will probably resent being called elderly, I'm NOT elderly !
Plus technically it's not free - it's either £20 then £10 a year after that until you qualify for the pension age one.
Plus it's only allows free travel out of the morning rush hour (so not much use for those of us who are 60+ and still working full time in an office)

DH recently applied for his Oyster 60+ card and he’s absolutely hopeless and stuff like that. It came really quickly, he then lost it and applied for a replacement. What is the specific issue you’re having trouble with? Maybe someone here can help.

Its a brilliant scheme and slightly offsets our outrageous council tax.

Doesn't it have his photo on it?

Yeah I’ve just checked. Not until pension age round me.

London must be special.

Details of the TFL 60+ Oystercard here:
tfl.gov.uk/fares/free-and-discounted-travel/60-plus-oyster-photocard

Details of the Pension age TFL Freedom pass here:
tfl.gov.uk/fares/free-and-discounted-travel/freedom-pass?intcmp=54725

Customer support

Contact centre support is available daily Monday-Friday 08:00-20:00 on 0845 331

Applicants can check the status of their application by

•
Logging in to their 60+ web account (if they have one)

•
Texting the application reference number to 07624 809 356. They’ll receive a

response from the SMS service

•
Calling 0845 331 9872

It does say if you keep failing the photo upload checks you can get a "verification letter" and take it to a post office. Or they send you a form. But this info was published 2012. May be worth a ring when you fancy sitting on hold for a while (perhaps while you knit, since you are so obviously elderly now !! )