I have looked all through my newspaper, looked on the web to determine who gets free transport as per yesterday's budget. Can anyone enlighten me on the points, how old, how far can you travel and when does it all start.

Originally posted by BoppinBruce
I have looked all through my newspaper, looked on the web to determine who gets free transport as per yesterday's budget. Can anyone enlighten me on the points, how old, how far can you travel and when does it all start.
Probably 65 and over, probably 1st April, most likely within local met county or nonmet district area.

I keep getting 'this document is damaged and cannot be displayed' with all the Treasury PDFs :(

Free transport is available to anyone aged 90 and over, accompanied by both parents who pay Council Tax band rates of H and above; who spend at least £70 of their measly pension on petrol and who don't have a colour television.

Also, to qualify you have to prove you have been in full-time employment for over 65 years and have paid all the necessary income tax and N.I. contributions, but have never claimed free dental and optical benefits.

If you listen to Radio 2 you most definitely do not qualify for free tansport.:mad:

Originally posted by Ousetunes

If you listen to Radio 2 you most definitely do not qualify for free tansport.:mad:

Well my missus listens to Radio 2 in the car [...it does my head in !! :rolleyes: ] - and she's well on the wrong side of sixty !!

In this area concessionary fares are available to both men and women over sixty, but Gordon Brown may be thinking of men over sixty-five and women over sixty for his free 'pensioner' travel idea.

I wonder if under this 'new' free travel for pensioners scheme there will be any clauses about times of travel,as i travel on the bus to work and its hell in a morning as it is.The bus i catch is usually full about 6 stops into the route on most mornings.Im not saying that i think its a bad idea just needs to be regulated i hope!

Originally posted by jenhoppy
I wonder if under this 'new' free travel for pensioners scheme there will be any clauses about times of travel

It will be free off-peak travel so I assume after 9/9:30

Sam

Pensioners & The disabled,although I am disabled & cannot use public transport,why should it be free,even if the Pensioners & Disabled paid 10p at least no one could say we are getting everything for free.

On the HM Treasury website in:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/AA7/40/bud05_chap05_209.pdf,
it says: " free off-peak local area bus travel for all people over the age of 60 and disabled people in England from April 2006"

Currently in South Yorkshire the equivalent rate is 40p per journey, (or one can buy weekly or monthly passes,) and "off-peak" is defined as after 9:00 am Monday to Friday, or anytime Saturday/Sunday, and of course the tram and some rail services are at this same rate.

Originally posted by BoppinBruce
I have looked all through my newspaper, looked on the web to determine who gets free transport as per yesterday's budget. Can anyone enlighten me on the points, how old, how far can you travel and when does it all start.

It starts 1st April 2006, so It's not really as great as it seems. It's just a pre-election sweetener. Also it's just for local services. It doesn't cover coaches.

Originally posted by Scutts
It will be free off-peak travel so I assume after 9/9:30

Sam


Good otherwise we would have to work out a new name for the twirlies.

I am pleased that someone has clarified that chancellor brown has also included people with disabilities in the budget, re free fares.

I heard the soundbite, and thought
"Did he just say disabled, too?" but when they repeated it, it was cut off and seemed to refer to pensioners only.

My queries are

"what constuitutes 'local'?"

Same town/ city? same county? Cos I can travel anywhere that an accessible bus runs, within south yorkshire and certain north Derbyshire towns on my disabilty pass. I can also travel to leeds and bradford on my pass


is it going to be bus only?

Because in sheffield we also have the supertram (as manchester and the north-east have their Metro system), and, currently, my pass is valid on local train servcies, eg to Barnsley, Chesterfield, Rotherham, Doncaster. etc.

There are some places where there are bus services, but no trains, and others where it is the opposite way round:- you can get a train, but not a bus.

and only off-peak?

Disabled people have jobs to go to:- will we have to arrange to have a "staggered" working day, in order to use our passes after 0900/ 0930 hours. (whichever time is going to be decided on as constituting the demarcation between peak and off peak)

Also, will the "peak" times also come in for the evening rush of workers going home? willwe who are disabled have to leave work earlier, to catch a bus before half past three, or need to stay later, at work, so that they may travel after 6pm, e.g.?

and my most important point!!!

What is the use of giving people with disabilities, and the elderly, free travel, if the buses aren't going to be accessible for the best part of the next fifteen years, - assuming that the goalposts are not shifted yet again!

One dear friend of mine, was a big campaigner for disabled people, and he protested, vigorously, against the 2007 timescale that was originally mooted for providing 100% accessibility on bus services.

He said "2007?? I' could be dead before I will see an accessible bus!"

This friend, sadly, passed away, in the year 2000. He did not live long enough to see accessible bus services coming in.

We have seen the goalposts moved, twice; first to 2012, then to 2017.

I think that the isssue of inaccessibility and lack of inclusivity should be addressed at the same time as this wonderful idea of having free travel.

It is obscene that this carrot is being offered to PWD, and to senior citizens, but only to those who are able bodied enough to get onto the buses!

Also someone mentioned about men being given their passes at the age of 65, and women being permitted to have their passes at 60.

I understood that there was a descrimination case brought by a man, who wanted parity with women getting passes at the age of 60. I believe he won. So it would be descriminatory to offer passes at 60 for females, and 65 for males.

PT

I would have thought all disabled people would get free transport already PT? For example all those with a 'blue badge' or in receipt of DLA? My Mom gets free bus, train and tram travel because of her partial sight!

K x

On 'Working Lunch' today it said that everyone over 60 would get free local bus travel. Don't know if this will apply to the trams or trains or what the 'local' area will cover. At the moment the area covers north to Leeds, Bradford and Huddersfield, south to Chesterfield, east to Goole and west to the city boundary only.

Remember the free transport is only for one year,

This year is election year

I wonder if it's because the grey haired brigrade have quite a lot of voting power and most of them vote :confused:

Hazel

Originally posted by hazel
Remember the free transport is only for one year,

This year is election year

I wonder if it's because the grey haired brigrade have quite a lot of voting power and most of them vote :confused:

Hazel
This might be a clever move,because would any party (whatever colour) dare to remove this and the £200 council tax rebate?

True
But they wuld already be in, and 4yrs is a long tme in politics.

hazel

Originally posted by extaxman
On 'Working Lunch' today it said that everyone over 60 would get free local bus travel. Don't know if this will apply to the trams or trains or what the 'local' area will cover. At the moment the area covers north to Leeds, Bradford and Huddersfield, south to Chesterfield, east to Goole and west to the city boundary only.

Pensioners in South Yorks get a very good deal on cheap consessionary travel. Knowing our luck these wide-ranging and affordable consession fares will probably be scrapped in favour of free travel restricted to the city boundaries.

Originally posted by Kristian
I would have thought all disabled people would get free transport already PT? For example all those with a 'blue badge' or in receipt of DLA? My Mom gets free bus, train and tram travel because of her partial sight!

K x

kristian, at the mo, in the s-yorks PTE (passenger transport executive) area people with partial sight do get free travel, but al other disabled people (if they can get a pass!) have to pay 40p a journey, (or you can buy an 80p return if on tram or train)

I believe that is to do with people with partial sight not being "conned" over wrong coins being given, or having to fuddle about finding the correct change for their fare.

I remember some years ago, there *were* zero fares for all the elderly, and certain (registered)disabled folks, in S-yorks.

PT

BoppinBruce :- Everybody of pensionable age will get free travel on local services as from next year.

Originally posted by extaxman
Don't know if this will apply to the trams or trains or what the 'local' area will cover.
In metropolitan areas 'local' usually means the met county. So, in Sheffield, that's South Yorkshire. In Salford, that's Greater Manchester.
In non-metropolitan areas 'local' usually means the district council. So, in Whitby that means Scarborough Borough Council, and in York that means York City Council, not all of North Yorkshire.

Consessionary fares cover trams. Trains are covered if they are a local service and the journey starts and ends in the 'local' area. I don't know how this applies in non-met areas as there's no train from Whitby to Scarborough. In South Yorkshire you can get from Dore&Totley to Thorne North.