good news for stoke on trent bus pass holders

Bit out of my way even with a bus pass

I am glad it's only for a limited time. If people who are inconvenienced going to work it should stop. I hold a bus pass and can shop or meet friends after 9.30 am.
If I need to meet earlier I drive.

I suppose it will help older people who have say a 9:00am medical or other appointment.

It wouldn’t work well here as the city buses are still packed with workers at 9:00 am who start a little later to avoid the school rush.

In Scotland the buspass (from age 60), has no time limits at all, and has been in use for 20 years without causing any problems for commuting workers. It covers local and longdistance buses in all parts of Scotland, 24/7.

I dont know what it is like here, but where I previously lived they had the sensible idea that if you had a hospital appointment which needed an early bus trip before 9,30am you showed the appointment and then were allowed to use your pass. That seems a very practical way as especially right up the dales you would have no chance of getting to an appointment in time if you didnt set off before 9.30am and these days you are grateful to get your appointment and cannot often stipulate a later time of day.

I am a late night person so public transport before 9.30 would be a rare thing for me.

Good if you like that sort of thing though!

butterandjam

In Scotland the buspass (from age 60), has no time limits at all, and has been in use for 20 years without causing any problems for commuting workers. It covers local and longdistance buses in all parts of Scotland, 24/7.

Unfortunately Scotland's bus routes and timetables have severely declined in the last two decades due to lack of public funding.

I wish they would give us 60+a free bus pass. I would get rid of my diesel guzzling car & just use the bus.
That’s good for your area if they are lifting the restriction of only using it after 9.30 👍🏻😊

Great for grandparents taking children to school, though the fares in London are reasonable with prices capped at £1.75 per hour. So I can take the children to school and travel on somewhere else for a relatively low price.

madeleine45

I dont know what it is like here, but where I previously lived they had the sensible idea that if you had a hospital appointment which needed an early bus trip before 9,30am you showed the appointment and then were allowed to use your pass. That seems a very practical way as especially right up the dales you would have no chance of getting to an appointment in time if you didnt set off before 9.30am and these days you are grateful to get your appointment and cannot often stipulate a later time of day.

This sounds really sensible - they could even print some sort of voucher as part of your appointment letter?

It was trialled here in Manchester. No inconvenience was found for working age people. It is now continuing.

OldFrill

butterandjam

In Scotland the buspass (from age 60), has no time limits at all, and has been in use for 20 years without causing any problems for commuting workers. It covers local and longdistance buses in all parts of Scotland, 24/7.

Unfortunately Scotland's bus routes and timetables have severely declined in the last two decades due to lack of public funding.

It depends where you live, OldFrill. We have now got more buses than we had 20 years ago.

No restrictions where I live and no passengers seem inconvenienced. What happens to pensioners who still work? Seems somewhat unfair to them.

I wish I had a bus service! A 2 mile walk along a busy road with no pavement to the nearest bus stop and then only 4 times a day.

Given the retirement age has risen there will be a lot of oldies using a bus pass for work unless if you have to be officially retired to be awarded a bus pass in the relative area.

What I don’t like is not being able to use the bus pass in Wales. When my late husband was alive we spent a few years in a village just over the border into Wales when I found I couldn’t use my Welsh bus pass in England, now it is visa versa.

They dropped the restrictions here in my part of Cheshire a few years ago. I am an early bird and often get a bus around 8:50. It meanders all around the local business park before going to the shopping centre. I’ve never seen more than half a dozen people getting off in the business park so we older people are clearly not inconveniencing anyone.

Lucky you infoman. Cheshire East still has the 9.30 am start although it is half price so not too bad.
Only about three passengers when I caught the early bus so no guilt involved

I'm pleased for the people in Stoke-on-Trent but, even if they were to do the same thing here, l would not be able to take advantage of it for another five and a bit years as l have to wait until I am 67 for my bus pass. Perhaps I should move to London or Scotland.

Kent council use the excuse that Government sets the times. Typical.

Kent CC is wrong:

The mandatory bus concessions may be supplemented with additional concessions at the discretion of a TCA under section 93 of the Transport Act 1985. For example, a TCA can choose to offer free travel before 9:30am for ENCTS passholders within its geography.

Travel concession authorities (TCAs)

English national concessionary travel scheme (ENCTS)

www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-travel-concession-authorities-on-the-england-national-concessionary-travel-scheme/guidance-for-travel-concession-authorities-on-the-england-national-concessionary-travel-scheme

@Musicgirl it’s the day you are eligible to your state pension here too. Not many counties give people under pension age a senior bus pass. However, most places will allow you to show the driver your appointment letter to get the concession before 9.30… if there is an appropriate bus that day and you don’t mind the driver seeing your medical information 🙄

@Dizzyribs, I realise that about the state pension age, which for me is 67. My husband had his at 66. I was joking about moving to areas where you can get one at 60, as used to be the case for everyone until around ten years ago.

I don’t have a problem with not getting a bus pass until state pension age. I do, however, feel that it should be the same for everyone, wherever they live. The other problem is the fact that the state pension age is going up and up, almost arbitrarily. I think we are approaching the point where people will not be able to retire at all. I think 65 is probably the sweet spot for retirement age but those days are long gone, sadly.