AIBU to think that old folk sholdn't be allowed to use their bus passes before 10am!

[Saltire]

And also AIBU to not understand why First bus have changed the bus times.

Ihave had to walk 2.5 miles to work today and 2.5 miles back a gain and feel ill, my legs are sore, my feet are numb and sore, I am worn out and am almost crying with fatigue.
Why did I have to do this?
Beause 1st bus have cut the number and size of buses "because they are losing money due to the number of pensioners with buss passes using teh service".
So what happens? All the pensioners get on the smaller buses (27 seaters instead of double decker) buses and fill them up, then every single other person waiting at stops along the way can't get on because bus is fulll and drives right past. Twice. in one morning.

Why do they feel the need to be on the first buses of the day? Can't they wait and let those who need to go to work get on the buses? Then coming back the 2.15 was full - again a 27 seater, all pensioners, and if I'd waited till the next one wouldn't have been home in time for DSes

They should do their free over 50s swim at 5am too!

Fennel, over 60s or even over 65s not especially socially excluded, except by the usual class/ethnicity divisions, but the oldest old (over 75 and particularly older than 85), without a doubt, are. Especially women.

And the older they are, the more likely they are to rely on public transport.

it would probably cost so much to means-test as to save no money whatsoever.

the money comes from a central governmant grant, which is meted out on a per-capita basis. therefore, thos areas with larg numbers of silver foxes who want to travel suffer, cos the grant is insufficient.

though i've never heard of them refusing to take on passengers - they just ramthem in.

the time limit is in keepin with th general policy for discounted travel - student railcard etc - discounts only available on off-peak travel. it's not a vendetta against old people.

moped - Ha! (ala Mrs Crapbappe) just where do the babies perch? between my legs - or on the handlebars?

YABU - imagine you are old. Would you want to be restricted to using your bus pass after ten?

It is mean to assume that OAP's have nothing better to do with their day - they might also have plans, things to do and people to see.

Why don't you try re-framing it by thinking that you are lucky to be healthy enough to walk the 2.5 miles to work. Also for the rest of the day you can eat what you like as you have done a good amount of exercise.

Don't see why the elderly shouldn't pay to travel if they want to go at peak times and have free travel otherwise. My parents both use their free bus passes to commute to work which just seems wrong. Alternatively why not raise the age - free bus travel for over 80s only say.

oh, and nationlisation has historically destroyed such a wide variety of businesses i fail to see why it would help public transport.

@aligrylls - but everyone who travels peak time pays a premium! the time limit doesn't stop OAP's travelling, it just means they have to pay. same as students/ other discount card holders that have to pay full price.

YABU - The fault lies with the bus company not the commuters.

Also I figure if you put up with god awful public transport for a long period of time then your only payback is that one day you do not have to pay for that transport.

I am still blown away with how dirty, hot and awful the tube is and kind of in awe of just how much they fleece people for.

I got frustrated with buses and we are now a two car household, which sucks in so many ways but saves me money shockingly

MIL has a freedom pass and uses tfl buses etc. the good thing is there are actually enough in London, if you miss a bus it isnt two hours till the next one

'everyone pays taxes- unless theya re exempt from VAT, roadtax, fuel suty anyway'

Um, yes, that's what I wrote.

Everyone pays taxes. If you work enough, you wind up paying taxes. If you work at all, you pay NI.

So what? Why do pensioners think that entitles them to free bus passes?

Means-test 'em.

Do you have any idea what First Bus's profits were last year? I shall tell you. £200 million quid. That's profit, not turnover. I think they can afford to put on a few more buses so that their passengers can actually get on them. And actually isn't that what their role is supposed to be - to provide public transport?

leftangle - the elderly in this instance aren't travelling at peak time, they're travelling at 9.30. That isn't rush hour. I live in London and I have to say I haven't noticed an excess of pensioners stepping in to nab the seats during the rush hour since they made it free travel all day. No one wants to fight the crush if they don't actually have to.

expat - as if taking away free bus passes would actually improve the service fro everyone else - come on.

c'mon what?

60 isn't elderly, but that's when they're eligible for free travel.

if we're going to extend retirement age - which we have to - and start doing something about ageism, why the freebies?

i'm against mandatory retirement at 65, too.

YABU, but at the same time I can understand where you're coming from! As a young person with a hidden disability that stops me walking very far (very bad knees and no explanation!) I used to have to rely on public transport a lot, and the older people who used these buses were so damn rude. I'd sit at the back so that they could sit near the front, yet they came and badgered me (usually the only young person on the bus) for a seat even though the seats reserved for them at the front were free!

Though I have also found that a lot of older people were really rude to me in general. I had an old woman barge past me using a railing telling me it was there for people who couldn't handle the steps by themselves I've had a lot of trouble with older people in general tbh, must be because I'm a 'orrible yoof

It's something that definately needs to be addressed though, companies can't complain about profit when they take on so many people who are going on for free. You could limit the amount of elderly passengers travelling, but then that would hinder their ability to travel, theres a no win situation on this until local councils get their arses into gear and start running or subsidising local bus services so that they are effective!

omg why did the pensioner punch you saltire?

A few thoughts.

I suppose most people are worse off when they end their working life than when they are working and so cut back on a lot of things.

A lot of people often find it hard to come to terms with work ending, what to do all day? Yet can't justify spending £££ on public transport to go out unless necessary. So it gets people out and about which is good at what can be a difficult time for people.

Many older people do not have the alternatives - driving/walking/motorbike/moped/bicycle that younger people often have.

Personally I think that free transport for older people is a good thing - many struggle even when from the outside they look as if they are doing OK. I see public transport as a service which should be freely available to all - and assistance should be given to those more likely to be vulnerable.

The freedom pass in London is available to anyone over 65 or those with certain disabilities. So from that point of view maybe it shouldn't be means tested but only offered to pensioners who are eligible from a disability point of view? But the cost of running it that way would be prohibitive I would think.

southeastastra - It was last week, I had got on teh bus and had to stand - I don't do standing very well, and have had a lot of unexplained falls recently so was hanging on lady kept moving my right hand which was holding onto the bar in front of her - she wasn't holding onto it, she was sitting - and she kept saying "your hand is annoying me and your bag is touching my leg".
So when she was trying to shift my hand, I was A) LOsing my balance and B) My hands were starting to hurt like hell.
I asked her tos top as it was hurting me, and she said and I quote "you youngsters are all teh smae, no respect for us elderly, I deserve this seat and you are annoying me". SO I said it wasn't my fault I was haivng to stand, the bus was busy and could she please leave my hands alone as it was annoying me. So she punched me on the side of the leg and called me a bitch and told me to shut up

Bloody hell Saltire that's awful

god saltire, what did you say to that?
how rude.

so means test it.

they have to go in to get a photo for the pass.

so make it so they have to bring in their award letter for pension credit or the like to get the pass.

my landlord has one and he's far from poor.

he also got fuel grant monies whilst living in a warm country abroad.

I believe a subsidised bus service is workable, we have one in Edinburgh which is in fact very good, inexpensive and reliable.

What a nasty old cow Saltire. Poor you having to put up with that. I do wish some people didn't assume that all old people are automatically lovely. There's good and badn's just like the rest of us.

Small point btw..not all OAPs are poor and can well afford to do without a free bus pass.

expat the elderly would be eligible for the pass as well if they were disabled.

obviously the older people get the more disabled they get - things start to give, long term chronic illnesses start to cause real problems etc etc. vision hearing and mobility all start to give as even the most sprightly person gets older.

so the doctors surgeries would be crammed with old people queueing up to get their free transport passes signed off by the doctor, which would then have to be checked and processed by a big admin team.

it may be that to be signed off as disabled for the purposes of transport there are more things to do than just see your GP - riven would know about that - which would just waste even more doctors time.

My point is it would clag up all the doctors surgeries and cost an absolute bomb. And I suspect that is why it is free across the board. With cost savings being made (in most areas) by limiting the times people can travel to off peak.