Bus pass time!

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Comments

  • IanH
    IanH Club Member Posts: 4,708
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    edited September 2016 #62

    Bus companies charge the council that the bus pass user lives in for the average cost of the journey undertaken.

    I'm not aware of a fee for issuing the bus pass.

    Apparantly, a third of all bus journeys are undertaken by people with bus passes.

    People in London get the most from their equivalent to a bus pass (it's called a freedom pass, or similar). They get to use buses, commuter trains, underground and overground trains.

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176
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    edited September 2016 #63

    Well , just think, if you are a taxpayer you are subsidising the use of passes, so use them and enjoy them while they are around.

  • DSB
    DSB Club Member, Member Moderator Posts: 5,875
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    edited September 2016 #64

    Never thought of applying for one.  To be honest I can't remember the last time I went on a bus - I just find the car too convenient.  I've used the train though.  Now if we had a free train pass......

    David 

  • KjellNN
    KjellNN Club Member Posts: 8,727
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    edited September 2016 #65

    I'm looking forward to my free TV licence next year, that will be a good saving too.

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 14,097
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    edited September 2016 #66

    I'm looking forward to my free TV licence next year, that will be a good saving too.

    Bus Passes are a wonderful thing that give older people of all incomes freedom to get out and about. Free TV licences I just don't understand, there is no logic to them. Most people currently retired will have been paying for them for at least 10 years before
    they become free so what happens when they are 75 that requires them to get them free. I could understand free licences for people with sight impairment but struggle to see the logic for the majority. The responsibility for free licences is now with the BBC
    so it will be interesting to see how long they last.

    David

  • Rubytuesday
    Rubytuesday Forum Participant Posts: 952
    edited September 2016 #67

    We have bus passes, ours are for Wales only yet we very rarely use them  , we travel in England most of the time and there not valued there , when you can use your English passes from lands end to up to the Scottish Borders,
    Sadas for t v licience's I to wonder how long the Beeb will keep it up 

  • Vicmallows
    Vicmallows Forum Participant Posts: 580
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    edited September 2016 #68

    Pension Credit is a top up to the regular State Pension for those
    whose income fall below a certain level, so in effect the poorest pensioners. 

    David

    It always annoys me that whenever 'benefits' of any kind are mentioned, it is always stated that they depend on
    INCOME 

    In fact your income can be very small, but if you have been prudent enough to build up even quite modest cash savings, then you will find you are debarred from practically all 'benefits'. If however you have spent the cash on an expensive
    car/caravan/yacht/whatever  .....oh that's OK, you can claim! Yell

  • IanH
    IanH Club Member Posts: 4,708
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    edited September 2016 #69

    The 'cut off' for many 'income related' benefits is £16,000 of savings - more than that and you don't get anything and less than that (down to about £6,000) the amount you have reduces your benefits.

    It's a bit different for pension credit.

    When you say that some people simply spend all their savings in order to get benefits, that doesn't always work. The DWP / HMRC see this as 'deprivation of capital'. If they believe that you've deliberately deprived yourself of capital to gain benefits,
    they can treat you as though you still have that capital.

  • Hallsontour
    Hallsontour Forum Participant Posts: 199
    edited September 2016 #70

    The age for a bus pass (for me anyway) has gone up from 60 to 66 Yell

     

    yep, 20 plus years before I can claim mine, unless they have gone by then!

  • Fysherman
    Fysherman Forum Participant Posts: 1,570
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    edited September 2016 #71

    I would put as much as 10p (i'm not a gambler) on them being history by then H.Smile

     

  • Metheven
    Metheven Club Member Posts: 3,987
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    edited September 2016 #72

    Recently got mine and use my bus pass quite a lot, travel into Hull from my village for a bit of a wander and some shopping, saves the hassle of driving into the city and parking the car.

    Waiting for my fuel allowance soon, pays for my gas bottles for the caravan Happy

  • Fysherman
    Fysherman Forum Participant Posts: 1,570
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    edited September 2016 #73

    Don't cry Six more years 

  • BrianJosie
    BrianJosie Forum Participant Posts: 391
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    edited September 2016 #74

    I was 60 in January and for some strange reason was looking forward to my bus pass and was gutted when I learned it is now 66SurprisedHappy

    Brian & Jo

  • Fysherman
    Fysherman Forum Participant Posts: 1,570
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    edited September 2016 #75

    I am considering councilling. It's traumatised me having to wait all that time 

  • volvoman9
    volvoman9 Forum Participant Posts: 1,053
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    edited September 2016 #76

    When i was 60 i could not apply for my bus pass until i was just two weeks short of being 61 for some odd reason but that was five years ago.

    v9

  • SteveL
    SteveL Club Member Posts: 12,374
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    edited October 2016 #77

    Recently got mine and use my bus pass quite a lot, travel into Hull from my village for a bit of a wander and some shopping, saves the hassle of driving into the city and parking the car.

    Waiting for my fuel allowance soon, pays for my gas bottles for the caravan Happy

    Now that's a strange one. As other half qualifies for her pension the FA is paid automatically. I don't get my state pension until 65 but was eligible for FA from 62.5 when I qualified for my bus pass. As it is not automatic without a pension you have to
    phone. However they said if they paid it I would get £100 and OH's would reduce to £100, as it is per household. So I told them not to bother, save the paperwork. When I reach state pension age it will automatically change to £100 each.

  • Metheven
    Metheven Club Member Posts: 3,987
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    edited October 2016 #78

    Recently got mine and use my bus pass quite a lot, travel into Hull from my village for a bit of a wander and some shopping, saves the hassle of driving into the city and parking the car.

    Waiting for my fuel allowance soon, pays for my gas bottles for the caravan Happy

    Now that's a strange one. As other half qualifies for her pension the FA is paid automatically. I don't get my state pension until 65 but was eligible for FA from 62.5 when I qualified for my bus pass. As it is not automatic without a pension you have to
    phone. However they said if they paid it I would get £100 and OH's would reduce to £100, as it is per household. So I told them not to bother, save the paperwork. When I reach state pension age it will automatically change to £100 each.

    It is a bit odd, I pay all the bills but my wife gets half the fuel allowance ........... and she won't give it back
    Sad

  • robsail
    robsail Forum Participant Posts: 1,441
    1000 Comments
    edited October 2016 #79

    Recently got mine and use my bus pass quite a lot, travel into Hull from my village for a bit of a wander and some shopping, saves the hassle of driving into the city and parking the car.

    Waiting for my fuel allowance soon, pays for my gas bottles for the caravan Happy

    Now that's a strange one. As other half qualifies for her pension the FA is paid automatically. I don't get my state pension until 65 but was eligible for FA from 62.5 when I qualified for my bus pass. As it is not automatic without a pension you have to
    phone. However they said if they paid it I would get £100 and OH's would reduce to £100, as it is per household. So I told them not to bother, save the paperwork. When I reach state pension age it will automatically change to £100 each.

    It is a bit odd, I pay all the bills but my wife gets half the fuel allowance ........... and she won't give it back
    Sad

    Write your comments here...the marriage vow says richer or poorer she's richer you're poorer!

  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Club Member Posts: 10,224
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    edited October 2016 #80

    I thought it meant you could have sixteen spouses although why you would want four worse and four poorer I could never work out.