In message , at 18:40:58 on Mon, 24
Jun 2013, JNugent remarked:
But it seems to me that the free buss pass scheme subsidises a very
specific subset of retirees - those who have made the lifestyle choice
to live sufficiently far from the facilities they need to access that
they require a bus, together with there actually being a bus service
they can take advantage of.

I know retired people who use their bus passes in order to be able to
simply get out of the house, eg, shopping in the town a few miles away
rather than in the nearby village shops.

That's the sort of lifestyle choice I was talking about.

I know other retired people who have bus passes and never use them, and
yet others who have never applied for one.

If I had one (currently the qualifying date is receding at about 3x as
fast as I'm aging) I would hardly ever use it. Because there's precisely
no buses that would usefully reduce the walk to my local shops, even
those half a mile away, and if I was going to the nearest big town
(Cambridge) I'd probably pay the £3 train fare for a 15 minute ride 3x
per hour; rather than endure the 60 minute bus ride, supplied only once
an hour.

By chance, the bus stop I'd use is right by the station, about 5 minutes
walk away from my home.

Those who made the lifestyle choice to live close enough to the
facilities, such that they don't need to use a bus,

...will use the bus pass to go one stop. While moaning about the hard
working person paying through the nose to travel 5 miles who is using
"their" seat.

My understanding is that except in London, the buss pass for those over
60 may not be used during the height of the morning rush hour.

Even once upon a time in London. Hence the "Twirly" name.

However, not every job has to start at 9am.
--
Roland Perry