Bus Travel

[maggiebee]

Great news for all young folk in Scotland. From today, all young people aged from 5 - 22 are entitled to free bus travel. This will make a huge difference to families on limited income.

https://www.transport.gov.scot/concessionary-travel/young-persons-free-bus-travel-scheme/#69507

[ToraToraTora]

I'd be interested to see what has been cut to pay for that.

[Buenchico]

That's fine as long as there are actually some buses!

Some villages here in Suffolk have one bus per month to take them to the nearest town, with a return service a few hours later. I hope that things are a bit better than that up there in Scotland!

[jno]

they do the same for oldies down in London and elsewhere. I do think it's a good idea to encourage people to get out of their houses. I've been to lots of places I wouldn't have seen without my freedom pass.

[Patsy33]

That's great news for the young in Scotland.

[pat2604]

We have free bus passes. The problem is we don't have any buses anywhere near us. Never mind we are managing to survive!!

I personally think it would be better to improve the bus services then give young people free passes. I can understand it for young people who are still in compulsory Education. And who is paying for it? The public purse I presume.

[mushroom25]

i wonder what limits the government will place on this scheme - before what time in the morning would the young passholder be a "Twurlie"?

[jno]

perhaps they'll time it to make sure kids can get the bus to school as necessary.

[pat2604]

Chris, that's what we had until a few years ago. Then they cut the service out! Norfolk and Suffolk rural areas are really treated badly as far as transport is concerned. The answer is I suppose is to move to a town, and then all the villages would be be full of wealthy second home owners. Rural poverty is rife.

[pat2604]

There is no way I could go back to London! But it gets more than its fair share of facilities. I want East Anglia to be a devolved country!

[pat2604]

How are the old people doing up there Maggie?

[jourdain2]

I can understand 5 - 18 yr olds. But why 22 yr. olds? Compulsory education ends at 18 surely?
As others have said, it would be nice to have some buses. In our village we have 1 - 18 yr. old (has a scooter and learning to drive in own car provided by family) and 2 - 17 yr. olds who are both learning to drive and who have their own cars in which to do so. They'll need a car to get around. It means that parking is contentious in some places. Many families now have 3 cars because they have to have them.

[Buenchico]

>>> But why 22 yr. olds?

Given that first degree courses in Scotland usually last 4 years (rather than the 3 years usually needed to study similar courses in England), I assume that the initiative is intended to include those students who go on to Higher Education in Scotland.

[wolf63]

I can't believe that I am going to say this ...
I agree with TTT.
There is no way that this can be funded without taking money away from somewhere else. Free Prescriptions is also wrong, those than can pay should have to pay.

[roopower]

Ah, Pat... I was born and brought up in Lowestoft. My dad wanted home rule for the area of Lake Lothing, he was passionate about it!!

[pat2604]

/Given that first degree courses in Scotland usually last 4 years (rather than the 3 years usually needed to study similar courses in England), I assume that the initiative is intended to include those students who go on to Higher Education in Scotland./

Don't they already get enough Chris. They don't pay university fees.They get jobs like we had to when at college - weekends and holidays and pay fares. They're coddled enough!!

[Buenchico]

>>> They get jobs like we had to when at college

To the best of my knowledge, not one student at the college I went to had a job of any sort (other than during vacations). It was lovely going into the local pub and getting served by the waiters though, who were all students at the uni up the road ;-)

[pat2604]

Jourdain, a report came out some years ago that Norfolk had the highest number of 2 and 3 car families in the UK with the inference that we must be wealthy. In fact we are confirmed the low pay areas, but if you want to work you have to have a car. It won't change.

[pat2604]

Chris, I worked at weekends and holidays all through college so did all my friends. I was brought up to expect it. If I wanted to go out and enjoy myself I used my earned money. My parents would obviously treat me but I never asked them or expected them to give me money. And we weren't a poor family. It was just the work ethic they had. Both my parents worked.

[jno]

wolf, it's not something that can be easily costed. The only way to figure out how much it costs is to look at the number of people travelling free who would not have done so before - then trying to figure out if they would have purchased tickets before or just not gone anywhere. There aren't likely to be any upfront costs of new buses or new divers.

[jno]

or even drivers...