General Chat

The only time I got a free bus pass was when my parents decided to move 20+ miles from my school 3 months before I was due to leave. Bus pass to train station 3 miles away and season ticket on train to Romford...I then had to get at least one more bus which had to be paid for and this was in Greater London...

We are definitely spoilt in London including greater London

Free bus/train passes for under 16 plus special rate for students under 18 has been the norm for yonks.

Bit of a nightmare travelling bus or tube 3.30pm until about 5pm with the noisy kids but one can live with it.

Never gave it a thought what happens in other parts of the country. Low income families, when they have several kid, must be expensive travelling anywhere.

I enjoy going out around London with my grandchildren - just wonder how much it would cost from their house to mine return - 2 hour journey each way - if it wasn't free. :-0

Public transport to school - what's that!

It's almost all special services here - there is no public bus service to the catchment secondary school. There are almost no footpaths, no street lighting and a fast stretch of road.

I agree with ChAoTicTheory, I used to drop my children off at primary school on my way to work, it would have been unmanageable otherwise.

At secondary school / sixth form it was down to the reliability of the buses. My daughters used to walk a mile in the opposite direction to school in order to be able to get a place on a bus, as at our local stop the buses from 8.15 onwards were at full capacity and sailed by, the only time there was any room on the buses was after 9, well past school start time. Sixth form was 17 miles away, one bus per hour. The bus went 15 minutes early as well as 15 minutes late. I can't count the number of times I've been in my dressing gown and slippers with scruffy morning hair at 7.30 a.m. driving to catch up the bus or taking daughter straight there. Not a pretty sight :-D

Rant over on public transport, I agree that some parents could and should walk their children to school, parking restrictions should be strictly observed otherwise

Back to wisechild's opening post - I don't think any concessions should be taken away from pensioners

Some parents drive their children to school because they have to go on to work afterwards. Employers wouldn't be too impressed if they were late and they can't drop the children off any earlier because it's not allowed.

I am talking about a Free bus pass just to get to school not for travel anywhere.

A free school bus pass is one thing - but free anytime travel is another!

I have 3 grandchildren that go to school near me from 6 miles away.
Only school that was near where they live and not in a rural area.
I am on the outskirts of Leeds.

My son in law has to pay out £30 a month for a pass for each of them then the bus fare on top of that there and back on a night.

That is over a £100 a month for just 3 then he has to catch the bus with the other two which costs another roughly £25 to go another 3 miles the other way to a Primary school until they move up to secondary school.

So for him the free bus pass for the children would be good.

Hi KenSE

Just a case of putting two and two together and making five.

Isn't that we do on here!

In our area the local councils stopped supporting some of the few rural buses. Someone bought a small bus and started picking up children for one of the local schools (all secondary schools here have catchments that require most to travel by car or special buses). That bus was such a success (and boy was it expensive to send the kids to school) that they were able to start buying a few more buses and now we have a regular service. But if we wish to be in town after six - then it is back to taking the car.

We are luckier than some.

Bus travel for children is far from free around here, infact children have to pay full adult fare at peak times, which naturally is just those times of going to and from school.

Our local bus is another that's largely supported by pensioners during the week and they would find it most inconvenient if they had to pay every trip.
There is no doctor, dentist , post office or shop within reasonable walking distance, so the free bus pass is much used on our bus.

Gwyn

The idea is not to take away OAP bus passes but to standardise free bus passes for children.

At present London children have free bus travel. When introduced it was found that it did reduce car travel and accidents.

Where I live in Menorca, both schoolchildren & pensioners get bus passes for reduced fares. Pensioners pay about a third. Not sure about the students (not all kids, just those travelling to & from school)
Mind you. from October to April, the buses are so few & far between it´s just an academic exercise.

I was actually quiet digusted this week by the amount of primary school children being driven too school.

Because of the lovely weather this past week I made the decision to leave home 20 mins earlier and take the 40 min walk to work as I was starting letter. I couldn't face getting on the bus jammed packed with buggies and children which bone idle mother take for 2 stops and decided it would be wonderful extercise for me.

I have to pass 2 primary schools, the roads and pavements where absoloutely packed and at both schools and at one was a horse box/van >>>Yep who takes their children to school in a smelly horse box/van when the only live a 10 min walk away from the school? I know they do as I know of the person the horse box/van belonged too.

So to me not a wonderful idea to winter fuel payments and buspasses away from OAP , get these children walking more.

Yours outraged of Ches'hire

:-|

London led the way with the free bus passes for the over 60's - I remember having to escort my mother on the bus as she was so embarrassed and didn't want to be recognised.

Not sure what you mean DC but I can't see pensioners in this area paying over £5 return to go into town twice a week. They will only go when they have to. This is a semi rural area.

Yes and under 11's free on the underground.

There is now a report on the BBC website :".....Transport minister Norman Baker said claims in the Daily Telegraph that the Lib Dems were developing the idea were "simply not true". "..................

Pensioners who use the buses now, unless they live in a rural area, will continue to use the buses.

My only query is - do not kids under 16 already go free with a special pass (think in London) and this can be taken away if they misuse it or misbehave.

At the moment our bus is pretty full during the day and the customers are mainly of pensionable age. Many of these pensioners would not get out if they didn't have a bus pass, many don't drive and wouldn't be able to pop into town two or three times a week. while in town of course they possibly have a cup of coffee and buy small purchases. the shops would notice a difference if bus passes were not available. I would actually be happy to pay say £20 a year for my pass, it would still be good value for money.

More deliveries for the supermarkets.

They do need that extra bit of profit though, bless 'em.

I wasn't too happy when I saw that in the papers this morning.

Why is the younger generation 'so precious'. We've paid our own fares since children, we've paid our childrens fares and now we look as though we might have to go back to paying our own fares again - and those of other peoples children. we've been through tough times but it seems to have been forgotten. The three day weeks, the rotating powers cuts (always off when you get home), the long strikes, the Poll Tax.........

It is another policy being thought up by those living in cities. Take our free passes away here and give them to the children and we will lose our buses. Our little rural bus runs fairly full nowadays - if we have to pay to ride it then we might as well take our cars. One return bus trip = 2 hours parking charge (it's expensive in our nearest town).