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Originally Posted by SPUGGIE J
Yes pensioners worry more about heating in winter paying their bills and food. The pesion they get is poor and a lot of them cannot understand how to get more benifits if they are entitled to them. As for the bus pass it gives them freedom to travel country wide at no real expense to enjoy life to the full. Even those with private pensions and savings due to the economic downturn suffer. There are those that may not drive due to their health, no licence of if they have a car cannot afford to run it. The bit that annoys me about pensions is that everyone who has paid the minimum required amount of national insurance gets a state pension. Yet that is more or less saying that all are equal despite the fact that some will have paid more than others because ehey had a better rate of pay or did a regular shot of overtime. Private pensions though subject to the vagrancies of the markets are paid based on what you put in unlike the state pension.
Yes target those that dont want to work though able to as the money paid to them could increase the pension and lessen the stress pensioners are under financially. Thing is though that even with govenment incentives, payments, retraining etc there will always be those that are better off not working.
Its not only pensioners that have bus passes either, like me who has a condition that legally bans me from driving. I have taken a while to accept the situation as others in my position as well as others who cannot be allowed to drive because of medical conditions. There have been times that though entitled to it I have taken pelters for it and despite not having to justification has been thrown back at them. The argument seems to be that taxpayers shouldnt be funding bus passes at all. My argument is that pensioners who worked all their days and payed taxes should have one. As for me I have employment and pay tax so I am paying for mine. It is subsidised by a payment fixed by govenment and would if extended might get some of the cars of the road that they want so eagerly to do.
Public transport is despite the best efforts of some still way behind other countries and will be for a long time to come. Buses and trains are either half empty or stowed to the gunnels depending on the time of day. I use both trains and buses and suffered on both esp the trains being overcrowed. Yet there are times of the day when trains are half empty and you get cheap tickets but the times only suit those that have no ties. Discounts are available for pensioners and the disabled (which I am classed as) students etc but because it still involves paying then pensioners prefer a bus that costs nothing.
Yes I think govenment policy sometimes has the wrong direction but others will disagree leading to arguments galore. Pensioners get a raw deal in my view and more should be done to help them as many of us will be those pensioners one day in the future. We will have payed our tax and N.I. and should be able to get recompense in some small form for what we have (if we reach that age) put in over our working lives.At the days end some gain many lose but that is sadly the status quo at the moment untill change is forced.
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No point having a bus pass if you're going to be dead by christmas from pneumonia.
I always talk to people at the bus stop and I've always found people seem to be happy for their bus pass but complaining about things that are more likely to affect their health.
And please don't tell me that I will understand in 40 years, I pay a hell of a lot of money for my bus pass each year, not to mention public transport in general, and the most I get is a 1/3 off train fares. If I don't understand how valuable the ability is to travel by now then I might as well just give up.
I think people are a bit naive in the UK about seeing their friends and family day in day out like it is a god given right to do that. There are so many people in the world that would kill to see their family members just once a week. That, for many people is just a couple of quid. Yes, it might mean you miss a meal, but you'd happily pay it if you'd rather have a bus pass than a warm house in winter.
I've seen my mum about 3 weeks of this pass academic year and I have to work two jobs over Summer to be able to afford the luxury of a bus pass when I go back to uni, otherwise I'd never be able to afford to leave campus without walking for an hour into town, then an hour back. Never mind being able to afford to get home. You just have to make friends closer to your home and families should perhaps be paying to go see you if they're not having to depend on the pittance of pensions.
But yes, maybe I'll understand in 40yrs when I'm 60. I'd like to think I'd choose a warm house or a good meal over a bus pass though, just like I do now.