Forum Topic

Link to Petition to reinstate the 24 hour usage of FREEDOM PASS

Whether of not the restriction has a direct impact on you there will be many who you know that it does. Please sign the petition to request the reinstatement. Thank you and happy Wednesday 😊https://chng.it/sXXqbRtjhM

Joy Griffiths ● 3d19 Comments

There are people of all ages cycling - it is far from something just for the young especially now there are so many e-bikes on the roads!There are a lot more people working flexible hours and shift working.The 60+ card is a good way to encourage younger car-centric routine people out of their cars while they are still young enough and fit enough to do so. Ditching the car routine habit and rethinking journeys can be a wonderful and change and a lot less stressful! It's a new freedom.

Philippa Bond ● 4h

“Younger people in London would be more deserving recipients of free travel than the 60+'s.”Not really. The taxpayer has spent £millions on cycle tracks for younger people to use. The cycle tracks are vastly underused so younger people obviously have plenty of cash to use public transport

Steve Taylor ● 20h

I don’t see why the older people can’t pay a fare on the rare occasions that they NEED to travel on a bus before 9a.m.  They get a good deal by having free travel the rest of the time. They shouldn’t be taking up space (for free) when paying customers are trying to get to work.It’s also ridiculous that there is still a 60+ Pass. Why should those high earners (generally speaking) receive this costly benefit before they reach State Pension age. It’s a ridiculous waste of taxpayer money. Restrict it to 66+ and keep the hours as they are - no free travel during morning peak times.

Steve Taylor ● 1d

I have just had a quick shufti to check my assertions.Until 2020 when legistlation kicked in the fares in Manchester were up to £4.40 and averaging at £2.48.In London now a bus fare is  £1.75, so 6 years ago they were probably half the average sum in Manchester at the time.How is this fare.This story is repeated all over Britain.Londoncentric policies or what?

Keith Iddon ● 1d

You're right in order to encourage more use of public transport it should be cheaper.  Ours here in this country is much more expensive than in other countries and it should be  encouraged.  I think it went a bit wrong though when a lot of children started taking buses to go very short distances instead of walking and when they are lots of them on the buses pushing each other around it isn't always as good for the elderly.

Philippa Bond ● 1d

If you think London bus fares are expensive,try going to most towms up north and quite possible other locations.In Manchester a few years ago it was £4 to get on a bus,and through legistlation it is now £2 as far as I know.People in London usually earn quite a lot more than those anywhere else.'Levelling up'..that's a very bad joke.

Keith Iddon ● 1d

I recall a similar system in Montreal with a flat rate fare as long as you continued in the same direction, changing from tube-type trains to buses en route. Not sure that could easily work in London though.

Richard Greenhough ● 1d

Keith makes a good point that public transport should be as cheap as possible and ours in London is very expensive. I remember a holiday in Berlin a few years ago where you could travel from one end of the city to the other, changing trains and buses as needed, for an hour, for 1 Euro, so long as you kept going in the same direction.

Susan Kelly ● 1d

The buses haVE to be put on anyway to run a service and they are only half full much of the time,so how does it cost anything extra for an older person to take up space on it, particularly when they are not depriving anyone else as there is usually plenty or room? I don't mind the time restrictions as it only affects me now and again and I am quite willing to pay outside desoignated times.Many older people would go out a lot less and that would likely impact their overall wellbeing,which would negatively impact upon GP' s an the NHS and economically other businesses in London would suffer.I am a believer that public transport should be as cheap and as clean as possible for all,and if that means subsidies well so be it,but I don't believe in inflated salaries for many poorly performing staff and managers who run the service.

Keith Iddon ● 1d

Not everybody claims everything they are entitled to when they are entitled to it either as they may not need to.  The problem may come when they suddenly can't drive and they don't have that choice and bureaucracy around registering for free travel isn't fast enough - and they will soon find that cab fares add up to large amounts fast.It would be good if hospital appointments were easier and cheaper to access by those using freedom passes.Jim Lawes has some wonderful accounts of his travels and encounters on public transport.

Philippa Bond ● 2d

Agree with Stewart.

Janice Evans ● 2d

“ older Londoners  over the years have spent  thousands on taxed income on transport”I don’t think the freedom pass is a sort of “frequent flyer” scheme where people get free trips after spending money on transport.

Michael Robinson ● 2d

Possibly. But also you have to remember that older Londoners  over the years have spent  thousands on taxed income on transport.

Stewart Jones ● 2d

Younger people in London would be more deserving recipients of free travel than the 60+'s.

Michael Robinson ● 2d

You would need to give some evidence that the cost of the 60+ outweighs the benefits of people going out and spending.How about a system where some 60 year olds (who can easily afford to pay for public  transport in London) could pass on that benefit to someone for whom if would make a real difference?

Stewart Jones ● 2d

I don't know that this petty restriction saves much money. I suspect that most of us just travel a bit later. The plan was to keep us off public transport at morning rush-hour during the Covid pandemic and that excuse is long over.Stopping the 60+ card would save a great deal more money and it's hard to justify but, having benefited from it myself for 6 years before graduating to a Freedom Pass, I don't advocate pulling the ladder up behind me.

Susan Kelly ● 2d

Can we afford this?Perhaps they will need to get rid of the over 60's pass on cost grounds.

Chris Lucy ● 2d

A disabled person's Freedom Pass can be used 24/7.

Barry Jacques ● 3d

Well done Joy - it’s about time people who work and disabled and in fact the elderly need this - it would be good if this could be shared with the link to others too.

Helen Bamberger ● 3d