Guilt Free Railing 20

[WouldBeGood]

The curtain call.

May this thread be empty 😃

All good news welcome too, to go along with railing, guilt free

I am SO sick of the trains being a mess. Maybe all our politicians should have to go without cars for a few weeks, to really see what a pain in the arse it is when even the basic services don’t run reliably.

Very low uptake on the free bus passes for young folk too. I know a few who have tried to get it and just given up.

Yes, spent ages on DC1’s form only to have it rejected because I’d uploaded the abbreviated rather than full birth certificate, if I remember rightly.

i did hear someone say they’d improved the application form recently so might take another look.

Interesting. We persevered because DS has to get bus to school and I figured the council wouldn't renew his school bus after this year. We're also served by a frequent bus service that he uses to visit friends etc.

It's such a city benefit though, no use to the huge swathes of people who live in an area with a poor bus service.

It took ages to do the application for my eldest. Youngest was much quicker but took longer to come.

The bus travel has been a godsend for us as my eldest uses it 2/3 times per week.

So glad I did the bus passes at library as the paper form was simple and think librarian just selecting 'identity checked' after looking at documents

I've only just got back in after the upgrade! I've been railing from the sidelines!

Hi @QueenWatevraWaNabi !

@tigger1001 I’m all for free public transport.

Free bus travel is pretty useless where we are you would need a reliable frequent bus service first! But they are once a hour for rush hour then less in between and to get between some of the towns is even worse/non existent!

I find many policies is aimed at city living/central belt and little thought is given to rural areas. DH finds it with his work and frequently has to go back to cross Scotland working groups and ask them to consider things in guidance because they seem oblivious that it's everyday life outside the cities!

Ouch this is another total balls up on ever level www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-61472258

I did not realise they were so far through the process when the process changed. How can it ever be acceptable that the people doing the work weren't told until they made the public announcement.

Whether you support the SNP or not, I can't see how much more evidence we need that greater checks and balances are needed for our model or government before independence can ever be considered

I meant before the finance model changed!

I really do agree @Scottishskifun so many of their policies are very central belt centric.

That’s just terrible @Calmdown14 . Why do they keep doing these things? And why don’t people care? Don’t get it

Iv heard that going to the library is the quickest and easiest way to obtain the bus pass so might be worth a try for those of you that had issues

I also read that 'youths' are taking advantage of their free bus pass and taking coaches to be bams outwith their own local area.

That's quite funny. Did we, did we not predict that kids would end up using the free buses just to hang out, somewhere warm and cheap.

It's really funny a few short years ago councils were trying to cut the free school buses.
Most councils operate transport for 1 mile primary & 2 miles secondary. Legally they can ask primary kids to walk 2 miles and secondary kids 3. A big plan was hatched to operate to the legal requirements, we'd save £££. Then parents up in arms because many routes just aren't completey safe, narrow bridges with no footpath, sections of paths through woodland areas. So councils decided to leave alone.
And now kids can get buses when they don't actually need them

That's right, @Dinoteeth ! I remember that being predicted. They should really have a look on here when floating their latest ideas 😃

I'm scratching my head trying to work out why they would be against kids hanging out on buses after two years of no unnecessary journeys caper. Maybe the the rise in bus usage needs a radical, impossible to predict solution like more bus services rather than lecturing young people again.

@mapleleavesreturn
Groups of young people jumping on buses, just to go to the end of the route and back again or round a city circular route for the sheer hell of having a warm place to sit and gibber like a big mobile park bench.

They will be come louder and become intimidating to other people who actually want to use the bus to go somewhere.

Not to mention taking up seats that they don't actually need.

I may or may not have killed time on the Glasgow Underground in my youth. I think the ticket was 60p for a warm seat for an hour or two. Until you got bored or someone needed the loo!

Intimidation is no good - that's the sort of thing that happens with 'free' resources though and no amount of lectures from the govt will stop that.

Yes wonder if the threatening ads on the radio about the £1000 fine for non completion of the census are having much effect

yes, @readsalotgirl63 i can’t imagine they are. I reckon people have had so many threats from government over the past few years too that it will just wash over people.

@mapleleavesreturn it was just so predicable that kids would use the free buses to hangout.
Even if they aren't saying anything or doing anything to other passengers. Its just off putting to have group of noisy teens up the back of the bus. Who aren't necessarily going anywhere, just going wherever the bus goes.

Young people need places to go in evenings but very few groups run at the weekends.
The money spent on "free" buses could be better spent on youth groups, or making the transport system better.

Absolutely @Dinoteeth there's so little for them to do, small wonder they're meeting up on buses and as you say, predictable

It's been an on going issue for years that young teens 14-17 year olds have nowhere to go particularly on weekend nights.

I look back and think of some other crazy things that I did. And it's not something you can blame parents for either, my parents thought I was at my pals, her parents thought we were at mine. Reality we were hanging around the street corners. Or going round the clock! 😳

Maybe youth cafes would be an answer but there needs to be lots of them.