Free bus passes for under 22s

[Returnofrros]

Cost £111 million per year.

Value.....nope

Necessary......nope

First thing that should be scrapped.

[BCram]

Any indication of the number of trips or the number of passes in circulation, or what the cost of the journeys would have been if they had been paid for in cash to the bus company?

[Returnofrros]

Any indication of the number of trips or the number of passes in circulation, or what the cost of the journeys would have been if they had been paid for in cash to the bus company?

The cost of administrative and paying the bus companies.

A truly ridiculous state of affairs.

[BCram]

£97,166,918.69 of operator reimbursements costs and £5,211,682.19 of operational set-up and maintenance costs. 2.21 Nov 2023 info from Google.

[Returnofrros]

£97,166,918.69 of operator reimbursements costs and £5,211,682.19 of operational set-up and maintenance costs. 2.21 Nov 2023 info from Google.

They cud pay me a helluva lot less than £111 million and I'll vandalise bus stops and rampage aboot the ferry 😆

[jdfc]

I don’t mind giving them to kids to get to school or college, but come 6 o’clock at night they should be invalid, same with 60 plus year olds getting free passes, folk on full time employment getting to travel free is ludicrous, it’s a vote winner, and I won’t start on prescriptions

[islaydarkblue]

I don’t mind giving them to kids to get to school or college, but come 6 o’clock at night they should be invalid, same with 60 plus year olds getting free passes, folk on full time employment getting to travel free is ludicrous, it’s a vote winner, and I won’t start on prescriptions

I am surprised that the minimum age limit for the free bus pass in Scotland has not been increased to current state pension age of 66.

[islaydarkblue]

Cost £111 million per year.

Value.....nope

Necessary......nope

First thing that should be scrapped.

It was a bribe by the SNP to try to get young people to vote for them.

[Deeranged]

I don’t mind giving them to kids to get to school or college, but come 6 o’clock at night they should be invalid, same with 60 plus year olds getting free passes, folk on full time employment getting to travel free is ludicrous, it’s a vote winner, and I won’t start on prescriptions

I've worked since I was 16 with only four weeks where I didn't actually have work in that time and during which I didn't claim any unemployment benefit. I've paid my tax to successive UK and Scottish Governments and currently pay an additional 1% on my tax to cover some so called freebies by the current SNP Scottish Government. When I turned 60 I was given an 'entitlement card' that gets me free (although not really free) bus travel anywhere in Scotland. I've used that card once to get to Glasgow, I was accompanied by someone who didn't have a card and it cost them £10.00 - we paid £1 each booking fee so it cost the tax payer (me) £10. I've possibly used the card twenty times on local buses in the 18 months I've had it so possibly £60 worth on 'benefit' to me. The amount of tax I've paid over the last year, as stated on my P60, nearly drives me to tears.

And you grudge me that card, even though I'm working and essentially paying for it?

[jdfc]

I've worked since I was 16 with only four weeks where I didn't actually have work in that time and during which I didn't claim any unemployment benefit. I've paid my tax to successive UK and Scottish Governments and currently pay an additional 1% on my tax to cover some so called freebies by the current SNP Scottish Government. When I turned 60 I was given an 'entitlement card' that gets me free (although not really free) bus travel anywhere in Scotland. I've used that card once to get to Glasgow, I was accompanied by someone who didn't have a card and it cost them £10.00 - we paid £1 each booking fee so it cost the tax payer (me) £10. I've possibly used the card twenty times on local buses in the 18 months I've had it so possibly £60 worth on 'benefit' to me. The amount of tax I've paid over the last year, as stated on my P60, nearly drives me to tears.

And you grudge me that card, even though I'm working and essentially paying for it?

I’m similar to what you say in your post only a bit younger, I’m 2 and a half years away from my card, but I’d rather this was giving at retirement age and the money used for other more important things or even taking away the 1% tax, it doesn’t just stop at 1%, once you hit £43k you go to 40%, rest of the UK is £50k, this is all wrong