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No more peak time bus travel for pensioners

9:50am Wednesday 1st April 2009


THOUSANDS of pensioners in Worcester and the Wyre Forest will no longer be able to use their free bus passes during peak times from today.

Controversial changes to the Government’s concessionary bus pass scheme came into force today, with Worcester City Council and Wyre Forst District Council opting to implement them.

Both councils have stopped subsidising free peak time journeys for the disabled and over 60s.

The National Bus Concession Travel Scheme, introduced in 2005, will now only entitle holders to travel for free between 9.30am and 11pm Monday to Friday, and all day during weekends and bank holidays.

Wychavon, Malvern Hills, Redditch and Bromsgrove district councils have not made any changes.

Free bus passes issued in those areas will continue to be valid during peak hours, but can not be used on journeys that start in Worcester City or Wyre Forest.

Angered by the decision, a spokesman for Age Concern Herefordshire and Worcestershire said: “We see this as yet another unnecessary form of discrimination against older people which will have an impact on our clients.” In Worcester an estimated 17,000 people use the scheme. Since April 2008 there has been an 18 per cent increase in the number of concessionary journeys made in the area.

A statement from Worcester City Council said: “The reduction in hours is regrettable, but was the only feasible option due to the limitations of central government funding for this scheme.” Wyre Forest’s cabinet member for housing, health and rural affairs Anne Hingley has previously said the council, which has about 18,500 bus pass users, withdrew scheme funding when setting the 2009/10 budget.

Both councils will continue to subsidise free off-peak journeys for people who accompany disabled passengers.


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Your Say Your Worcester

laughing girl, Worcester says...
10:22am Wed 1 Apr 09

Its a good idea as before 09.30 workers are using the buses to travel to work, I think you will find this also happens in London and other areas.

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ladyofleisure, worcester says...
11:00am Wed 1 Apr 09

Thats a bit narrow minded, do you not think that some of these people maybe going to work themselves. Just because they are over 60 doesn't mean they should be sat at home with their blankets over their knees!!

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GroovyChick, Malvern says...
11:50am Wed 1 Apr 09

ladyofleisure wrote:
Thats a bit narrow minded, do you not think that some of these people maybe going to work themselves. Just because they are over 60 doesn't mean they should be sat at home with their blankets over their knees!!
in which case, if they are going to work, they can afford to pay, just like the rest of us

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clerken, malvern says...
12:26pm Wed 1 Apr 09

My wife is over 60 and has a part-time job in Warndon. During the bad weather she will not drive into Worcester, but accompanies me as far as Crowngate where she catches the bus up to Warndon.
We now have the ludicrous situation whereas she can travel from Malvern to Warndon for free, but has to pay if she only travels the short distance from Crowngate to Warndon. There are also may pensioners who leave their cars at home if the travel is free, who will be adding to the traffic jams when there is no advantage in using the bus.
Good, joined up thinking by the two Councils involved, and what charitable thinking by GroovyChick. Who paid for your school bus pass?

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cjhf, Worcester says...
1:34pm Wed 1 Apr 09

disabled people who are still trying to work are penalised by this too.We physically may not be able to walk well but are still trying not to be a drain on the state by continuing to work-surely free bus travel not almost empty buses is not much to ask.

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jabbadad, Worcester says...
3:47pm Wed 1 Apr 09

The source of the trouble over concessionary travel is that this government have cocked the scheme up and are not paying enough for the ammount of older people and disabled to travel free. The previous schemes whereby we paid towards our passes and had greatly reduced fairs was accepted by most pensioners, since we pensioners do not expect everything for nothing. The totally free schemes have created finger pointing at pensioners as seen in these columns.

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Olga, Worcester says...
4:20pm Wed 1 Apr 09

I'm with groovy chick, I find it amazing how the regular army of pensioners expect those who are going to work and actually pay their own fare to give up the seats for the old-codgers.
When I run the country, pensioners will only be allowed to drive on the roads between 10 and 10.30 am - and that's only if they aren't wearing a hat!!

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GroovyChick, Malvern says...
5:14pm Wed 1 Apr 09

clerken wrote:
My wife is over 60 and has a part-time job in Warndon. During the bad weather she will not drive into Worcester, but accompanies me as far as Crowngate where she catches the bus up to Warndon. We now have the ludicrous situation whereas she can travel from Malvern to Warndon for free, but has to pay if she only travels the short distance from Crowngate to Warndon. There are also may pensioners who leave their cars at home if the travel is free, who will be adding to the traffic jams when there is no advantage in using the bus. Good, joined up thinking by the two Councils involved, and what charitable thinking by GroovyChick. Who paid for your school bus pass?
I walked to school! Some of these pensioners have more money comiong into their households than much youinger people, I think bus passes should be awarded on income not age, being old isn't an illness, pregnant women have to pay on buses, they will be wanting free train and taxi travel soon.

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consider_this, Worcester says...
6:58pm Wed 1 Apr 09

I think it is worth noting the following about the national concessionary bus scheme:
- The scheme has been set up by Central Government to allow those aged 60+ to use local bus services anywhere in Engalnd between 0930-2300 on weekdays and at anytime on weekends and bank holidays. This basic entitlement is funded by Central Government.
- Local authorities are allowed to offer extensions to this, such as; pre-0930 travel and/or use of other modes of transport (such as trains/trams, like residents of the Metropolitan Area ). If this is offered, the full cost of these extensions are to be met by the local authroity involved.

This means that those who have used the bus on a weekday before 0930 over the last year have had their journey paid for in full by the council tax payers in Worcester.

I understand that some people feel that they have had a "right" taken from them, but in actual fact they have had a priviledge removed to take them in line with almost all every other area in England.

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cheersforthat, Worcester says...
9:26pm Wed 1 Apr 09

I'm glad about this, I was fed up of having to pay £200 a year for my pass to get to college every morning, and have to stand up on over crowded buses so people who don't even pay get to sit down.

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M@lvernite, UK says...
10:07pm Wed 1 Apr 09

It's not as if over 60s and the disabled have been banned from buses, just that they can now only travel for free during off peak times.

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jabbadad, Worcester says...
10:19pm Wed 1 Apr 09

Well at least we see in these columns the new breed (for use of a word) that are coming along, with no respect and I would personally congratulate cheersforthat if they had at any time given up or stood so that a pensioner had their seat, and it's more than likely that someone else pays for their bus pass, possibly a tax paying pensioner, there are millions of us out there. And being old isn't an illness,but often those who are old are also ill. Just like being pregnant is considered by some the way to get a council flat / well house since they don't stop at one when they realise that they can make a living by having kids on the state.

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mort, worcs says...
12:37pm Thu 2 Apr 09

The over 60's are entitled to the pass as they have worked their lives paying taxes but the peak times are a nightmare and standing on a bus is dangerous for everyone not just elderly. if you pay for a ticket you should hav ethe right to have a seat, i think it is a good idea to limit the ammount of people on a bus when people are trying to get to college and work, surely this makes sense?!? Can't the over 60's wait until 10 to go and get their bits and pieces done rather that have to deal with the hassle of a crowded bus anyway?

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GroovyChick, Malvern says...
5:04pm Thu 2 Apr 09

actually in this day and age, how many over 60's have actually worked all their lives, not as many as 20 - 30 years ago, and in 20 -30 years times, its going to be even less, with some of them not having worked at all!!

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cheersforthat, Worcester says...
8:21pm Thu 2 Apr 09

Olga wrote:
I'm with groovy chick, I find it amazing how the regular army of pensioners expect those who are going to work and actually pay their own fare to give up the seats for the old-codgers.
When I run the country, pensioners will only be allowed to drive on the roads between 10 and 10.30 am - and that's only if they aren't wearing a hat!!
Haha, fair play Olga.

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Olga, Worcester says...
9:56am Fri 3 Apr 09

Well considering this was April 1st I was dissappointed not to get more outrage - only having fun with you!!

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