At this stage in the debate, it would be interesting to know what percentage of those members who have posted and are under the eligibility age to receive the age-related ENCTS pass have come out in favour of lessening the usage terms of this pass ?
A pity that a poll was not incorporated with this particular thread
- I think that two more relevant questions for this thread are:
- How many of the people complaining about this cut are council tax payers in South Yorkshire?
- How do people complaining about this cut think that South Yorkshire should continue to fund free train travel for all pensioners (including to Leeds/ Huddersfield etc), at a time when we are seeing libraries closed, fire stations closed, leisure centres closed, subsidised bus services withdrawn etc - where is the spare cash in SY for our pensioners to have a day trip to Leeds?
As a disabled user, it's fantastic that the pass has been reinstated as before. Disabled people suffer enough hardships in life, to be honest national free travel on all transport wouldn't be unfair, but I'm aware this will never happen. I'm quite content I can use any bus free in the country, free trains in South Yorkshire and to West Yorkshire. Anyone who thinks this is unfair, is probably just jealous, trust me you have nothing to be jealous about.
Some people need to get a grip and stop being so bitter
The "ah, you're just jealous" argument about anyone who thinks that free train travel for all pensioners in South Yorkshire (plus services to West Yorkshire) seems a strange one - I just think that it's an unfunded scheme that's unsustainable and has caused a number of other bus services to be withdrawn (or staff made redundant) as the PTE struggle to pay for all of these "free" journeys.
If we can't have an opinion on something being a poor use of public money without someone throwing the "bitter" argument around then there's no point in trying to have a sensible discussion.
Before 1986, fares in many areas (especially PTE areas) were kept low, and even in areas without a particularly low fares policy, fares were still subsidised to an extent. So concessionary fares were not such a big deal, and even where offered, it was a discount of a low fare anyway.
Now fares cannot be subsidised by law, so regular fares are extortionate, so without a substantial discount, fares would take up a big chunk of poorer pensioners' income. Most working adults hardly use buses so aren't affected so much. The people who really suffer now are the unemployed, the low paid and young people over 16, who are expected to pay unsubsidised fares
I'd also comment that children in South Yorkshire have suffered under the new system - with the child fare going up from around 35p/40p (which it was in the days when pensioners paid a similar amount) to 70p and 80p - in some fairly big jumps (ten pence a year in recent years, which is proportionately a big amount).
Obviously most pensioners getting on for nothing have little concept of the "normal" cost of bus travel for the journeys that they are making, but we have moved from a system where kids pay around a quarter of the adult fare to around half the adult fare - which means that under sixteens are paying a larger share of the "burden".
It's a democracy, abide by the rules - and vote in accordance with your beliefs in 2015.
Nobody is saying that pensioners aren't abiding by the rules, just that the "rules" seem very generous and are not properly funded.
I doubt anyone takes free rides to the seaside, as doing this via bus would be ridiculous
Pensioners do though - look at the examples quoted in this thread of operators running to seaside towns unable to cope with OAP demand - having to put on larger vehicles to cope despite the fact that they aren't getting enough money from councils to cover those costs (imagine the operators terrified of "PENSIONER LEFT STRANDED AS PACKED BUS COULDN'T BRING HER BACK FROM SEASIDE" headlines.
In fact, one of the big problems with the current system is that it creates a disproportionate cost upon operators and councils in "pensioner friendly" areas - rather than being properly funded.
If North Yorkshire have to fund all of the pensioners coming there for a free ride around then they are going to have to make cuts elsewhere. There's no unlimited pot of money here.