Just don’t get this - waiting for the bus

[Auburngal]

My dad who is in his 70s had a hospital appointment this morning at 9:50am. So he had to pay for the outward journey as got bus about 8:55am. He goes on bus to that hospital as parking is a nightmare.

When he got to the bus stop 7-10 mins earlier, there were 3 elderly people - none of them were together. Bus pulled up and dad offered the 3 to board before him. “We are waiting for the first bus after 9:30am” - that’s when travel is free for pensioners. Dad gets his return trip free as it’s always after 9:30am when he leaves hospital.

Why on earth are people standing outside waiting for a bus at least 45 minutes before they can get free travel? The bus stop is in a wind tunnel. This happens every time my dad goes to hospital for that department as his appts are more/less same time.

Agree. Why should they 'bugger off home'? They have the same right to be out in public that you do. The ageist attitudes on here are awful.

Tom O'connor (Liverpool comedian) was making jokes about this back in the 70's. It's always been used here.

For some, they'd rather wait outside were there is a bit of life, than home alone. The weather is nothing to them, they lived in a time with single glazing, inadequate heating etc. Some need a routine for tablet taking, or have a slow start waking up etc, which is why they stick to 10am shopping time. Those that can drive etc are often doing school runs. When I take my GC, there's more grandparents than parents. All of the free children's activities couldn't go ahead if it wasn't for the pensioners volunteering. They aren't necessarily people who have nothing else to do.

Aww I love the twirlies. I used to love when I was younger and getting the bus to work in my very smart uniform, they’d shower me with compliments.

My nan was the same. She would walk the shop for 7am every morning for the paper, she’d be showered, dressed immaculately and make up done. Everyday had an assigned task to it, religiously followed.

Blimey, it's only 50p before 9.30am in County Durham

I leave the house at 5am for work and pass an elderly lady every day, on the same road, walking with her shopping trolley toward the town centre. I think some are creatures of habit and also like to be out and about rather than sitting indoors alone.

My MIL does this.
what baffles me further is she has a perfectly good car sat in the garage but she’d rather spend four hours and three buses to get to a town 20 miles away than jump in her car because the bus is free.
keeps her good though.

Thanks - I gathered that much from the thread context, just not what the word itself meant. Does the time limit apply to other things as well? The Wiktionary definition seemed to imply it.

in London passes work from 9am for bus and underground.
Have just discovered its 9.30 for overground trains.
So I can get my train at 9.02 (joint underground & overground station), 9 minute journey - and my pass doesn't work at the destination station.
Bonkers

It’s fun to wait for a bus. You can put up a pretend bench with a post and pretend you’re waiting for a bus or something fun like that

In England the maximum single fare has been £2.00 any time of day on all buses for quite some time. It was meant as a temporary measure to encourage more people to start using buses again after Covid. It has certainly worked in our area and the scheme keeps being extended. I believe it is currently set to run until the end of this year.

I’m a twirlie but with a disabled pass. I sometimes need to get the bus from the bus station- scheduled at 9.29. Next one too late for me to start work on time. Quite often late so free, some drivers recognise me/other twirlies and let you tap the pass just after they pull away. But quite often I have to pay. The ones with senior cards just hope to get on. It’s deliberate next bus 10, not 9.59.

I used to arrive to a queue when I did a clinic at the surgery.
It’s like Harrod’s sale here I would tell them. You’ll be bringing sleeping bags soon.
They loved it.

Perhaps they're having a chat? Enjoying the fresh air?

Maybe they're worried about being late, I know I always get there stupidly early 🤷‍♀️

Who knows - as long as they're okay - does it matter?

I get the bus every morning and every day without fail there’s several OAPS trying to get on the bus 15 minutes before the bus pass kicks in. Delays the bus and it’s annoying especially as they only go to fanny about in Asda. But if there’s no brave one to try it on with the driver they all do just sit there waiting. I think it’s something to do tbh.

Because they're waiting for free travel 😁

Probably just like to chat . Maybe the only people they see in a day .

Carpe diem.

"Too early" has morphed into "twirlie". That's from Liverpool, anyway.

I’m shocked at how expensive it is for pensioners in different places before 9:30 where I live if they wish to get the bus before 9:30 it’s only 30p for them which believe me some of them begrudge paying and will wait until after 9:30 to go out.

tesco open at 9 on sunday for browsers, perhaps as a result of the twirlies
?

We use Twirlie in the North East.

Twirlies!!! What a great phrase - for all those who give themselves oodles of time to get anywhere, not just oldies like me!

I live in Ireland, and now qualify for free travel as a Senior. At last!

I can travel anywhere in the country on bus, rail, tram - anything that moves people around. My goldie pals and me go somewhere different every fortnight, (Not Shady Pines lol) and it's a great day out. I can travel free across the Border in Northern Ireland also and am discovering that beautiful part of the island bit by bit. Lovely friendly people. There are zero restrictions on my free travel entitlement.

I am not organised though, and would be legging it to the bus at the last minute I'm afraid! Am I a TLATY then or a JUSTINTIMEY? ha ha.

I’ve been on several coach holidays, and on every single one there would be a queue at the coach each morning well before the driver even got there and unlocked the bus!

i remember one holiday my friend and I looking out of our window twenty minutes ahead of time and watching them - we had time for another cuppa and a wee. Every morning we would get on the bus about two or three minutes before the requested time (on the bus at time X for a briefing and a scheduled depart at X+10) and all the Twirlies would be tapping their watches at us. We were perfectly timed and never late but we still had the reputation of holding them up. They’d waste half the time at each stop off on the itinerary queuing at the bus rather than exploring. We were on holiday, so it amused rather than annoyed us, but it was a bit wearing by the end.

Only if it's a council subsidised bus. Our council scrapped our bus route and a private company took it on....£8.50 each way to get to the nearest town 7 miles away.

I don't think it's ageism to wonder why retired people who have all day to do whatever they need always seem to choose the times when people who aren't retired aren't just trying to get stuff done?!

I love to be the first in the supermarket so I can bugger off home! Then as OP says, I've got the whole day to myself rather than pottering about waiting for busses and shops to open etc.