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

It costs loads and loads to means test bus passes. And anyway, given the bloody company is making such an enormous profit, it's not like they can't afford to subsidise it is it?

If I were you saltire, I'd buy a few shares and go along to the AGM and ask them why they've cut the bus services when their profits have increased threefold over the past year.

I'm sorry that old lady was so horrible - I'm not surprised you're feeling aggrieved. I think you should have reported her for assault

so subsidise it for everyone, not just because you reach a certain age.

want to turn the tide on ageism than stop handing out freebies across the board just because they're old.

Why don't we just lay down set hours at which old people can leave their homes - not too early, so they don't inconvenience bus passengers, not at lunchtime because then they get in the way of workers on their lunch hour and get sworn at if they take too long getting their money out, obviously not late afternoon because then they get in the way of people coming home....

fluffypoms - no way am I saying on here what I said to her, I'd get flamed for being rude to teh poor old woman who probably can't get t out much

The fault is with the bus companies. If I told you I have a bus pass because I'm visually impaired and can't drive, would you tell me I shouldn't get on a bus for a 9am lecture at university? (I'm not actually able to, the nearest bus stop is over a 40mph, very wide road, so all trips TO uni, are provided by my parents, but that's another thread!) With not using the buses early, I don't know if it's the same policy in my county, but YABU to blame the pensioners for wanting to go out, when it's First's fault for mucking up the services (they've done it to me too, dropped my bus home from every 20 minutes to every half hour!).

expat so a subsidy for all and freebies for none including the disabled?

plus it's not just the old, the young get reductions/free travel.

so it's not ageist, then.

it's a policy of providing help with affording transport to those who are least likely to be able to afford it, without having to spend £££ sorting out exactly who that is.

I'm sure someone somewhere will have worked out that is't cheaper to give to all in certain groups, rather than having people prove on an individual basis that they are vulnerable, whetehr due to disability, income etc

I do think that rush hour and free passes do not mix at all, elderly/disabled what ever.
When the kids are on school holiday I never take them on the tubes before 9.30 either it is madness

I work with the elderly and I just feel sorry for people being so mean spirited about the tiny amount of 'free' stuff that is on offer to retired people. It will be you much, much sooner than you like to think and it will be nice for you if people are generous of spirit to you when you are old and vulnerable

I also think the free child travel needs to be looked at as kids get on for one bloody stop.

Yes I have kids, I also have a elderly disabled mother in a wheelchair so I am not being mean I am being piratical

i agree KIMI, you are being piratical

brilliant typo

Like I said earlier, I have not noticed a substantial increase in the number of old people on the tubes/buses in rush hour - no one in their right mind would travel at that time of day unless they absolutely had to.

I really don't understand why people are moaning about them getting free bus passes when the bus companies are clearly not losing money at all, they're just increasing their profits. If we still had proper public transport in this country (ie run as a public service, rather than a profit-making enterprise), there wouldn't be problem.

Goodness knows where you get free kids bus places, not here certainly- well, only if you have a tiny who can go go on your lap if the space is required. Schoolkids /college students may get a aplce if they meet certain criteria based uon locality of school, but that's a legal requirement- not fair on people in the valeys etc if they have to pay becuase there is no school under 3 miles away. DS1 won't go to the localschool because of his SN, but we will have to foot it as has no a SN lpacement assessment, and we'renot willing to place him at the local school for a few reasons. Not complaining btw, our choice.DS3 gets a taxi provided, thank goodness!.

Saltire she was horrid but you know, from the brief quote and very distant past experience of dementia at onset, that could be your answer. Doesn't help you though, I know. Older people can be horrible- we get comments about ds3 all the time and 90% of the time they are from older people- as if it doesn't hurt when the remark is from someone over 65.

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

there are a few problems with that I can see:

1.elderly people often reject help for disability- both my parents could get Mobility DLA yet refuse to claim, not uncommon.

1. Getting mobility component is Hell.We're a family with two children with SN- one gets HR care, one gets MR care,we also have a toddler (and therefore buggy) and an 8 year old who is being looked at or dyspraxia / add- so not really claimant level but certainly needs an eye as he falls over things etc. In our LEA however they will not give blue badge / bus support to anyone with a psychological need rather than physical. Ive tried contacting the councillor, my contacts are blanked. This renders us alrgely housebound above the level of home - school-maybe shop if boys having a good day. We'vealmost lost ds3 a few times from darting into traffic this year (he learned to undo his reins- 6 and autistic), and it seems a no brainer to me that a family with two chidlren with diagnosed asd will need ectra help, but no. Seems not. I wouldn't trust that system for anybody

DNPTRB - Kids travel for free in London up to school leaving age. They need an oyster card (id card) when not accompanied by an adult.

• it certainly hasn't apllied either in Somerset or here (S E Wales) where we live now.

IME ther ae more trasnport options in london as well- here you need a bus and 30 minutes just to catch the train!- and as no local shops f any note (we have two Spar branches in walking ditance, one of those up a hill, aposh bakery and a sandiwich shop- can you tell we are liking our tourist economy more than the residents? ) so the people with no car are forced ontop expensive buses.

The joke is that we get notes pushed through the door asking us to consider the bus- as oparking is a premium as all narrow one way strets- but at £12.50 (last years prices) to get to the nearest Ada, it's ridiculous.

dontpress - my parents get free bus passes now. In North Somerset. They are 78. A real novelty. They got the bus to Wells just for the fun of it recently. Took them hours

Mine get them in Bridgwater now- at 60 /65 it'sthe fist time they ever managed to get out of town more than twice a year (B o S, very exotic

havent read this rest of the thread, i obviously get wound up easily

YABU it's bus company's fault not the senior citzens, one day you are going to be old and hopefully you will have to wait till 10 to get on a fucking bus.

do they not have a right, they have paid all of their life why should they have to wait,ridulous thread!

If we're going to nitpick about the spelling of Copernicus, his real name was Mikolaj Kopernik. [pompous].

Several people I work with commute on their free bus/tube pass. I think they should raise the age - but to what? 75? My mother, who is 76, has just jetted off to Mauritius for three weeks. She's also been to Egypt, New York and Costa Rica (on a walking holiday) in the past year. And she has just bought a new car. Nowt wrong with her mobility. Or her finances!

Saltire - nasty old ladies were normally nasty younger ones as well. I'm sorry you had to deal with that.

I suppose taking the 0915 is the only way. Can you go and get breakfast/a coffee somewhere (there seemed to be no end of coffee shops when I was last there) for an hour, or go to the library?

It is a hell of a walk - to Bishopsfield Road used to take me 15 minutes when very much younger and fitter, and it was another 15 minutes walk after that to home (though when late for school I have done it in 6 minutes sprinting - that was very last century and 27 years ago though).

scaryteacher - you used the word there fitter - which I'm not,I have walking and dmobility issues, you thought it was tiring how do you think I felt. Its exactly 2.4 miles from my front door to the shopping centre.
I was so bad last night I went to bed very early. Today I took the advice of someone on here and got an earlier bus, which, strangely enough was full, except for one standing place and the odd thing was the bus came along my street at 09.25 (ealry for once) and it was full of pensioners, so they must all have paid the £4/5 for the trip from Gosport

I know you do Saltire, I was trying to empathise.

I know Gosport isn't a laugh a minute, but surely they'd all take the Gosport Fairy over to the posh shopping place at Portsmouth...not go to where you are. Perhaps there's something going on that I don't know about.

Skim skim skim but just wanted to point out that mum is 'old folk' at the grand age of 64. She doesn't drive and she currently has a fair few hospital appointments around 8am. She's got to get there somehow...

A few years ago I would have agreed with you.

scary - I am glad someone on here realise that I was moaning because I have hidden illness, walking is a big struggle for me especially if followed by 3 hours of work, at least you see that