Disabled Bus pass

[verydull 10]

...which you dont get if you are working. it was a good estimate of the ammount of benefit.

[denlin 12]

This also applies to OAPS who, like me have worked and paid full fares, for best part of 50 years. Of course there are buses and you can travel after 0930 free but they are running half empty after 9am so what difference does half an hour make on the grand scheme of costs and it certainly is not such a pleasant or quick journey on the bus to say Barnsley, Leeds or Doncaster and what about if elderly need to go to loo more often - should they stay at home. It's pathetic and an insult to those who have contributed all their lives. I am not disabled BTW.

Edited April 11, 2014 by denlin

[topgent 10]

This also apples to OAPS who, like me have worked and paid full fares, for best part of 50 years. Of course there are buses and you can travel after 0930 free but they are running half empty after 9am so what difference does half an hour make on the grand scheme of costs and it certainly is not such a pleasant or quick journey on the bus to say Barnsley, Leeds or Doncaster and what about if elderly need to go to loo more often - should they stay at home. It's pathetic and an insult to those who have contributed all their lives. I am not disabled BTW.

 

I would say that the OAP's will be the ones hit hardest with this especially with early hospital appointments ect

[Andy 10]

I find it odd that people are talking about this like it's some entitlement that they've worked hard all their life for. The free bus passes for OAPs only came in a few years ago; before that they had to pay 40p or something and were still restricted to buses after a certain time (9:30?).

 

Those who say there were other options... they needed to save £8.3m. What would you have cut, to save £8.3m?

 

Isn't there a scheme which allows those on low incomes to claim back the cost of travelling to hospital appointments?

 

I sympathise with those affected but in reality I think this was the lesser of many evils.

 

---------- Post added 11-04-2014 at 20:27 ----------

 

This also applies to OAPS who, like me have worked and paid full fares, for best part of 50 years. Of course there are buses and you can travel after 0930 free but they are running half empty after 9am so what difference does half an hour make on the grand scheme of costs and it certainly is not such a pleasant or quick journey on the bus to say Barnsley, Leeds or Doncaster and what about if elderly need to go to loo more often - should they stay at home. It's pathetic and an insult to those who have contributed all their lives. I am not disabled BTW.

 

It's £3.35 return on the train from Sheffield to Barnsley with an Senior Railcard. If you cannot afford £3.35 then what are you going to do on your 'nice day out' as you won't have enough money to buy a cuppa and a small cake.

[tzijlstra 11]

Let's just cut to the bottom of this discussion, something that some trolls are unable to do:

 

Would you rather have disabled people be forced to sit at home, coming by of your tax-pounds or have them work for a living with a small subsidy to ensure they can travel freely (which in a lot of cases is difficult to do on anything but public transport for people with disabilities).

[Andy 10]

 

Would you rather have disabled people be forced to sit at home, coming by of your tax-pounds or have them work for a living with a small subsidy to ensure they can travel freely (which in a lot of cases is difficult to do on anything but public transport for people with disabilities).

 

Personally I would have tried to retain the disabled pass (but not the OAP pass) being valid at all times. But it is a sorry state of affairs when someone (disabled or not) can go out to do a full day's work and doesn't earn enough to pay their bus fare. I suppose in effect the disabled are now getting half price travel, considering that their journey home will be free.

 

It would probably have been better if the government had never introduced the free passes and had stuck with the concessionary fares scheme. People today are still better off than they were 10 years ago but feel that they've somehow been 'punished'.

[tzijlstra 11]

Personally I would have tried to retain the disabled pass (but not the OAP pass) being valid at all times. But it is a sorry state of affairs when someone (disabled or not) can go out to do a full day's work and doesn't earn enough to pay their bus fare. I suppose in effect the disabled are now getting half price travel, considering that their journey home will be free.

 

It would probably have been better if the government had never introduced the free passes and had stuck with the concessionary fares scheme. People today are still better off than they were 10 years ago but feel that they've somehow been 'punished'.

 

I agree on all counts Andy.

[verydull 10]

Personally I would have tried to retain the disabled pass (but not the OAP pass) being valid at all times. But it is a sorry state of affairs when someone (disabled or not) can go out to do a full day's work and doesn't earn enough to pay their bus fare. I suppose in effect the disabled are now getting half price travel, considering that their journey home will be free.

 

It would probably have been better if the government had never introduced the free passes and had stuck with the concessionary fares scheme. People today are still better off than they were 10 years ago but feel that they've somehow been 'punished'.

unfortunately not.

if only it was that simple. If you work or travel on a bus/ train etc. more than 2/3 times a week you might as well buy a weeks travel pass. You then have to factor in that some disabled people might need to take a break in their journey so a single ticket isn't viable either.

then on top of that some disabled people are entitled to a carers pass where a carer can travel with the disabled person because it is deemed essential to their travel needs. Those people are now having to pay twice to use the bus before 9:30.

[Annie Bynnol 612]

This also apples to OAPS who, like me have worked and paid full fares, for best part of 50 years. Of course there are buses and you can travel after 0930 free but they are running half empty after 9am so what difference does half an hour make on the grand scheme of costs and it certainly is not such a pleasant or quick journey on the bus to say Barnsley, Leeds or Doncaster and what about if elderly need to go to loo more often - should they stay at home. It's pathetic and an insult to those who have contributed all their lives. I am not disabled BTW.

 

People like me will have worked and paid full fares, for more than 50 years before being entitled to a ENCTS free bus pass at the age of 66 and upward.

 

Some current beneficiaries want to keep their extras to the detriment of others in South Yorkshire. Money would have to be transferred from rural and early and late services effectively cutting some people off from jobs and services.

ENCTS was never designed for more than local use-the idea that SY residents pay to provide businesses in West Yorkshire with extra customers is wrong.

 

I am saddened that some ENCTS users are combining the loss of disabled and impaired users facilities to further their case. I would actively support a national campaign that provided more facilities for the disabled but it would have to be funded nationally.

[Andy 10]

unfortunately not.

if only it was that simple. If you work or travel on a bus/ train etc. more than 2/3 times a week you might as well buy a weeks travel pass. You then have to factor in that some disabled people might need to take a break in their journey so a single ticket isn't viable either.

then on top of that some disabled people are entitled to a carers pass where a carer can travel with the disabled person because it is deemed essential to their travel needs. Those people are now having to pay twice to use the bus before 9:30.

 

Of course you're right. As I said I would have tried to keep this part of the scheme. Even if it was not possible I would have tried to introduce a flat fare of say 70p (like the kids pay) to holders of a disabled pass travelling before 9:30am.

[bigchpa38 10]

My son (35 yrs old)has leaning difficulties - he works - every day - 8.30-4.30 - and he really loves his work - it is hard manual work - but to have the privilege

of working he now has to pay £2+ a day to get to his place of work - he exists on Income Support and Disability Living allowance (middle and lower rate). He, and the rest of the team he works with, live and breathe their work - it gives them a sense of worth and enables them to engage in the work place , with support, every day . Its a good job I can afford to support him as well - how many of his work mates do not have parents or carers who can support.Once again the most vulnerable are the easy targets for those 'in power'! Dare I say - Discrimination- against the most needy in our society ?

[julado 10]

Andy, that is actually factually inaccurate so please stop reporting it as fact. Only two options were put forward by the local transport exec. that doesnt mean by any stretch that only two choices exist.

 

To portray it as fact that it was either disabled people and elderly people who suffered or bus services is the exact attitude of the conservative government who like to divide and conquer rather that see that actually we can afford to have both.

 

Those are the 2 extremes of a very broad spectrum. My opinion now? the pte was lazy.

 

There are many solutions, reducing the tender on evening/ sunday services to make the profit making private companies pay, allowing disabled and elderly people to pay the shortfall to the pte to retain their passes (by issuing as they have done with some extension passes) and i am sure there are other many different creative and cost effective solutions. Regarding the freebee, making it 50p as it is in leeds for example.

 

It is not and it was never and it will never be a case of a simple choice of 2 cuts. They also chose to retain the child concessions until 2015.

 

There are 264,000 people in South Yorkshire with passes....if only a quarter of them want to have an extension pass to include the train as it was before....then make a fee of say £50 a year for the extra....that would mean an income of.....well a reight lot So how does that compare to the shortfall?

 

There must be a way that a negotiation can be made between the SYPTE and the train operator to make a deal as before...and then see if this amount can be borne by those who want to take advantage of it.