£3 busfares will ruin me

[Deportationsensation]

Busfare cap to increase to £3. That’s £6 a day for buses. £10 extra a week.

My food budget for 1 person is £10 a week. So that’s my food money gone to pay for buses.

I can’t work more hours. I do what I can in working part time because I have health issues that would not qualify for PIP but affect me every day. Not qualifying for any benefits other than probably food bank use. Which I will now have to do.

AIBU to just start wondering what is the point? Life isn’t supposed to be like this. Some of us are just trying to survive with no enjoyment in life at all.

Sorry to hear that.

Have you applied for PIP? It's to help with daily struggles as you've said you have so it's worth applying

Would a bus pass be more efficient?

That sounds like you may be eligible for PIP. The criteria is they must affect you the majority of the time (so 4 days in 7 or equivalent). It your health is limiting your ability to work you'll likely be eligible, seek help with applying.

Its a cap. It may be cheaper

Why are you so cash strapped that you only have £10 a week for food, but don't qualify for universal credit?

Bus pass?

Are you a student

Would your health qualify you for a free bus pass?

If not would a weekly/ monthly pass work out cheaper?

It's awful isn't it. I think at most they should have a cap for people below a certain income. So you can get it for £1.50 then if youre more well off you can pay £3. Someone on £60k plus can afford that, but not someone on £10k.
I also think it should be free to people who aren't working if they can show it was to get to a job interview or training session leading to work.

How much was your fare before the £2 cap was (relatively recently) introduced? If it used to be less than £3 then perhaps it still will be?

May well be cheaper to look at bus pass/return ticket OP. Where I am singles are £2 which I've used over anything else because it's ad hoc I need one, but the return ticket is £4.30ish and a monthly pass is £80.

I have two autoimmune diseases and am waiting for an operation. I’m in constant excruciating pain. I also run a business and work 12 hour days. I’ve been in the position of no money v working through pain. I chose to put food on the table and pay my bills.

You need to work more hours. I’m not trying to be cruel, just realistic. Complaining to strangers on the internet won’t change your situation.

Surely you're entitled to UC if you have £10 a week for food?

£10 a week for a balanced diet and basic needs is not sustainable.

By the sounds of it, you would be entitled to UC or PIP. If your conditions make it difficult or outright stop you from completing everyday tasks, you need to look at PIP. There are no specific health conditions that PIP is not applied to. It's all based on how you are impacted in those daily tasks. If you have before but were 'denied' i know from reading on here many are denied at first then submit the MR.

Similar with UC, if you are budgeting £10 a week for food and working part time, i can't see how you wouldn't be entitled?

I'm sorry for your situation as well, but OP is entitled to moan! That seems like what half of Mumsnet is for anyway, you can always read another thread if you don't like it. Seems like she may be getting some good advice as well :)

You really out to get an appointment with your local CAB, and go over what benefits you are entitled to.
Don't be too proud to claim them. They are there for people like yourself. No one will reduce the bus fare cap because you are struggling but not asking for help.

It would have been worse if they didn't keep the cap. The £2 cap was due to stop in December anyway so your bus journey would be more. We looking for DD to see if a day ticket/return will be cheaper.

While i understand your sentiment, none of us on this thread are aware of the OP and their conditions and how this affects their day to day living. That you are able to do something despite significant circumstances doesn't mean everyone can. So yes, i understand why the first line would always be similar to "well i do x despite y and z, why can't you?' Their Y and Z could be A and B. We just don't know.

But complaining to strangers on the internet won't change the situation, but for many it's a much needed outlet or they may just have a breakdown.

She can moan as much as she likes but it’s not going to change the fact that she’s going to be hungry by the end of the week.

Im trying to give practical advice. If benefits aren’t an option then her only choice is to work more hours

It's a cap, many may be lower. For context the bus fare for me was £4.50 until the cap was introduced - it's now £2 so even with the increase it's less than before. On long rural routes like mine they loose money with every person

How much is a weekly pass where you are?
Some bus companies also have tickets where you can get 5 day passes for the price of 4. There might be an option a bit cheaper than the £3 journey if you travel every day.
Where I am, £3 is still way cheaper than what the fare used to be before the cap.

Can you give a breakdown of your income and outgoings OP?

If you’re only doing a few hours, can you compress them into less days so you aren’t paying 5 days of commuting for part time hours?

OP, are there any charities or organisations who provide a community for people with your health conditions? Many of these can help with things such as PIP forms and so on. I know Citizens Advice can also.

I know it's scary but the £1 increase is much lower than it could have been, though i understand with your limited budget that is still a huge sum for you.

You can already apply for the job centre to fund your travel to an interview. It isn’t down to the bus company to subsidise it.

If your food budget for one person is £10 a week then you have bigger problems

@Completelyjo ah, ok then. That's good. I wasn't suggesting the bus company subsidise anything though. I was talking about the government.