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Community Page This page is for your favourite routes, photos, and bus pass stories. 
"We have enjoyed all our trips out; what a new lease of life; long may it last. I hope a pic of Eastbourne is attached.If not I'll try Lewis/or as well. Regards Elaine Ansell. Oops; youv'e got Cowdray Castle at Midhurst!!!"
"My friend & I have been on days out to Lewis, Eastbourne, Brighton, Tunbridge Wells, Horsham, Crawley,Midhurst, next week, the fort at Newhaven.We plan Chichester, Portsmouth in the near future." ...Skinnychic
"I take the 700 bus into Brighton once a week, spend the day wandering around the Lanes, on the Pier, have a lovely lunch and come home really tired after a good day out." ... Blossom
Q: Hi, Very nice web page, but how do I get a BUS Pass? Regards, B A: Hi, glad you like the website. Your concessionary travel pass will be issued by the authority who administers you local concessionary travel scheme. Go to www.direct.gov.uk/buspass. Click on the link that says "List of England's concessionary bus providers", then select your area and your town from the list. You will need to prove your eligibility, and that you're a permanent resident of your area. ... BPC
Your Home Page quotes the following: "Where can the bus passes be used?
Answer: They can only be used in England. Wales and Scotland have their own free bus pass schemes.
It would be more precise to say; "They can only be used on services running wholly within England, or which start or terminate in England." Plenty of bus routes, starting in England, run over the borders into Wales or Scotland. Chris Hebbron Thanks Chris, you are correct. Even more freedom! ...BPC |
 The Bus Pass Blog
I was amazed to read a report in my local newspaper The Argus, dated July 9, wherein our local Conservative MP Tim Loughton told the House of Commons: “There have been a number of cases involving people who, knowing that they can travel for free, get on the bus and travel all the way down to coast to Chichester or Lewes or perhaps on to Hastings or wherever without getting off. They go for the trip. "That is terribly nice and lovely, but they do it again the following day and the one after that and the one after that. Bus drivers now have regular customers who travel on the bus for the sake of it. To be honest, that is not the purpose for which the scheme was intended.”
Further on The Argus report states Transport Minister Rosie Winterton said MPs should “rejoice” at the concessionary travel scheme, which had given “enormous freedom” to older people.
Of course, Tim Loughton's remarks resulted in furious Letters to the Editor of The Argus. Readers stated their “disgust” at his accusations of “joy riding”, saying that as life-long tax payers, we have earned the right to free bus journeys. Nancy Platts, Labour parliamentary candidate for Brighton Pavilion stated: "Older people shouldn't have to declare a good reason to travel any more than anyone else."
Surely the authorities should be pleased the buses are travelling with a full load of passengers. After all, they aren't laying on extra buses for us, we are merely using the normal timetable, the buses run whether they are empty, half-full or bursting at the seams.
Oh, and one thing I've noticed, we are always polite and thank the bus driver! ...Kookie, BPC Blogger |
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