Print

[w3526602]

Hi,

Just in case you haven't seen this ....

The government is set to increase the state pension age from 66 to 67 years old between 2026 and 2028.

The national retirement age is also expected to go up to 68 years old in 2048.

The increase to retirement age will affect state pensioner’s ability to get hold of a free bus pass.

However, this still could change with government policy and if life expectancy data changes.

602

[Wittsend]

Naturally the "benefit" of a free bus pass will change over time.
(in 2048 I'll be past caring)

Originally, not so long ago, the buss pass enabled you to travel on any bus for FREE.
Some OAP jokers used their passes to travel from home to Lands End, to John o'Groats and then home.
They soon put a stop to that little game.
You can only travel locally.
And then, it's not now a FREE bus pass, well the pass is free, but you now have now "concessionary fares". Half price or 2/3 the full adult fare and you may be restricted in the morning rush hour times.

Local councils can change what routes are concessionary and what the fares are.
Our Park-&-Ride to the NNUH (Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital) is free, but the 501 into the city is £1.70 return.

Therefore a FREE bus pass is a bit of a misnomer - you have to do your research.

[w3526602]

Hi Alan,

Something similar happened in South Wales. Lots of "Wrinklies" used their bus passes to spend the day on the very sandy beaches of Swansea Bay.

Double whammy ... they travelled at peak times, so there were no seats for the workers who wanted to get into Swansea.

Sandy beaches? Wait till you get a stampede of 50 horses coming at you. I think my mate Stan (bare-back and no saddle) could turn out about 70 horses. He also owned about 700 acres before he bought the golf course next door.

602

[A-Ro]

Oxford’s offering is still free however it cannot be used until 9.30 to avoid the rush hour. There is a huge conversation going on about Oxfordshire’s integrated transport policy which wants to eliminate 1 in 4 of car journeys based on 2019’s figures. This is for both environmental reasons and to ease congestion. The trouble is that as soon as bus routes start being underused because of working from home for example they get cut which means congestion and the environmental issues remain unaffected or get worse. As always money is the primary driver in these situations rather than the environment or congestion.

I’m quite jealous of the London bus pass which even though it can’t be used during peak periods you are eligible to get one at the age of 60 and it covers all public transport inside the M25 which includes busses, underground and overground trains.

I firmly believe initiatives such as this are going to have a better outcome than the current policy of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, reduced speed limits and Zero Emission Zones which are being introduced to dissuade people from driving.

[w3526602]

Hi,

The notice boards seem to indicate that they are going to build about 4,000 new houses on the other side of Wattling Street, from where I live, which isn't far from the centre of Milton Keynes.  My mind boggles at the thought of all the new residents heading for work/school/home all at the same time.

On the other hand, I'm impressed with with the "pleasantness" of Milton Keynes, and the ease of getting about. During the three years we have lived here, I cannot remember a single traffic jam ... although I tend to keep away from the local school at going-home time. On the other hand, all our shopping is delivered ... but we don't check the sell-by dates, or mail order for most everything else.  We have not yet had a delivery by "drone", but no doubt it will come.

I can be braking hard, from 60mph, as I approach a roundabout, within a couple of minutes of leaving my daughter's house in Bletchley.

602

602

[w3526602]

PS,

Google MILTON KEYNES SHOPPING DRONES IMAGES.

602

[autorover1]

Naturally the "benefit" of a free bus pass will change over time.
(in 2048 I'll be past caring)

Originally, not so long ago, the buss pass enabled you to travel on any bus for FREE.
Some OAP jokers used their passes to travel from home to Lands End, to John o'Groats and then home.
They soon put a stop to that little game.
You can only travel locally.

The English Elderly Bus pass can be used all over England after 09:30 hrs  , I have used mine all over the place including locally and Cornwall ,London,  Manchester etc etc .
One can also now in North Wales  buy a 1BWS ticket at child fare with an English / Scottish  pass and travel all day on any participating bus . Cost me £3.80
https://www.traveline.wales/news/2021/07/15/new-1bws-ticket-for-services-in-north-wales-introduced-by-local-authorities-and-bus-operators/

[richardhula]

My partner and I timed it just right. We both got our bus passes when we turned 60 and she state pension as well. I had to wait until 65 for mine. Although I retired early the "free" NI contribution years (eleven from memory) topped me up to receive full state pension, something I wasn't expecting.

[fv1620]

Bus pass or concession is not much use here, the nearest bus stop is 4.5 miles away :(

[autorover1]

I had a pleasant day out on public transport using my OAP pass just before Christmas. Car to Kington, bus into Wales( Knighton) , still free as cross border , train to Llandrindod (£3.40) , had lunch there,  bus back to Kington ( Free as cross border back to England ) and 10 mile home in the car. Sun shining all the way except the last few miles.  They can be very versatile, assuming you have a bus!

[BettyWhite]

An associate (I won't call him a mate) of mine (who qualifies for free travel) was complaining about his bus service (he lives inside the M25) until I pointed out that he had 18 buses an hour.

He then changed track and said that his nearest bus stop didn't have a shelter and he had to walk a quarter of a mile to find one with a cover. I told him that it might be a good idea to dress appropriately for the weather or perhaps take an umbrella.
 
He then said that they didn't go to where he wanted to go (the majority go to a travel hub where you can travel all over the UK) and he would have to change buses mid journey.

At this point I gave up!

Some people just don't realise how fortunate they are to have a frequent regular bus service and will complain about everything and anything!

Also in his case, I think that he believes that if something is free it has no value. I would support a small fee for each journey, the technology exists and it wouldn't be difficult to implement.

In London alone there were (pre covid) around 4 million "pensioner" journeys a day. If everyone paid 20 pence that would raise around £800,000 per day (assuming no fall off in usage). If this money was used to subsidise rural bus services I think that we would all benefit.

I will introduce these changes when I become emperor of the universe

Good luck
BW

[A-Ro]

My partner and I timed it just right. We both got our bus passes when we turned 60 and she state pension as well. I had to wait until 65 for mine. Although I retired early the "free" NI contribution years (eleven from memory) topped me up to receive full state pension, something I wasn't expecting.

That whole changing of state pension age was quite bizarre, my friend who is 2 years older than me got his when he was 62 while I didn’t get mine until I was 66.

Added to that the NI contribution laws changed in 2013 which left me and everyone my age in a situation where we had a shortfall of our NI contributions if we had “contracted out” early in our careers, which I had. For anyone younger than me and still working the shortfall was simply taken from their salary, anyone older was already getting their pension but I was left with a shortfall and the “opportunity” to pay £750 for each year between the law change and my state pension age which was 5 years. You get an extra £5 a week for every £750 you pay so for the 5 years I would get an extra £25 per week which is taxable. Even after adding the extra £25 a week I still hadn’t contributed enough to qualify for the minimum weekly state pension. Don’t worry, I’m not pleading poverty, my work pension(s) more than adequately cover my meagre needs but there must be quite a few people who were hit by this.

[Genem]

My MoD "work" Pension kicked in at 60, although I worked an extra 4 years on top on an "Over-Age Engagement" ( Yes, they were desperate...)

But, I turn 65 in a few days time. When I started my working career 40+ years ago I did so in the expectation of getting my State Pension at 65. I'll now not get that Pension until I'm 66 so roughly £10k the Govt have short-changed me. When I do get it the promised "index linked, Inflation-Proof" Pension will be subject to increases calculated using a worse rate ( CPI rather than RPI )  and they have done all the existing and future pensioners out of part of the increase that the new, reduced, calculation would have generated last year "to be fair.." so thats a double whammy.

The Bus Pass up here kicks in at 60 and allows travel on pretty much any local or long-distance route at any time. There are a long list of "Objectives and Benefits" including improving health and social inclusion. One that's not mentioned is the effect it has of subsidising bus companies to provide services that might not otherwise exist. Nearest bus-stop for me is 7 miles away but I do plan to use the facility, once I'm happier about the Covid situation, to trundle about the country and have days out. Ditto a Rail Card though that is more a cut-price scheme than a freebie.  There is also a similar concession scheme for those under 22.

An interesting scheme out here in the sticks is "Demand Responsive Transport", which is essentially where you can book a Taxi to town ( to link with the bus service) at an equivalent cost to a bus-fare, if there was a bus. Its restricted, limited routes,you have to book 24 hours in advance, you'll not get one during the hours the Taxis are doing School transport and so on. When first launched the allocated budget was eaten up quickly by Tourists..... 

 

[TimV]

No one has mentioned the impact on Women.

My wife (and all the others) has to wait for her state pension (and bus pass) until she is 66. By my reckoning that is £44,000 stolen from her.

I am enjoying my bus pass, I'm getting out and about and getting exercise using my pass.

[A-Ro]

No one has mentioned the impact on Women.

My wife (and all the others) has to wait for her state pension (and bus pass) until she is 66. By my reckoning that is £44,000 stolen from her.

I am enjoying my bus pass, I'm getting out and about and getting exercise using my pass.

Indeed and yet there was a very brief period when for the sake of equality the gov’t dropped men to 60 to be the same as women, they then realised it was costing more money 🤷‍♂️ So pushed both men and women back to 65 and almost immediately to 66. I missed out on that by about 4 years and my friend (and my wife incidentally who was the same age as him) both got theirs when it was being gradually migrated back to 65. The bus pass travelled with the state pension (sic) so my wife got her pension and bus pass 23 months later than she should have and my friend got his about 2.5 years early.