Forum Topic

Freedom Pass on buses

Taking a bus at 9.30 this morning, I asked the driver if the ban on using my Freedom Pass before 9am is still in force. Apparently it is, but why? The ban is supposedly to leave space for key workers  such as NHS staff, but is the need still there? This may sound trivial but I have had to request one hospital appointment to be changed as I couldn't possibly get there by the early time, and that added several weeks to the  year-long wait I've already had. I'm sure people are being inconvenienced in other ways too. Taxi, some will say, but given the frequent hold-ups on the roads, why should a taxi charge be incurred?

Arnold Saxton ● 1999d39 Comments

"This may sound trivial but I have had to request one hospital appointment to be changed as I couldn't possibly get there by the early time, and that added several weeks to the  year-long wait I've already had" Getting away from the issue of before 9am or not but could you not have got the bus anyway for £1.55p each way given the above statement.

Julian Pavey ● 1999d

I guess you need to have a standard Oyster card as well as your Freedom Pass to travel during busy periods. Is £1.55 really too much to pay occasionally ?

Richard Greenhough ● 1998d

You don't need an oyster card, just a contactless credit or debit card. We're not banned from buses before 9am; we just have to pay like everyone else. Surely preferable to putting an appointment off for weeks.

Susan Kelly ● 1998d

With Hospital Appointments people take little as possible with them, cards etc.,

Janice Evans ● 1998d

'With Hospital Appointments people take little as possible with them, cards etc., 'Eh? Why on earth do you say that? I always take something to read, for a start, given that I'll probably be waiting for hours.

Susan Kelly ● 1998d

Well if you think you might have to undress etc., nothing with you to worryabout.

Janice Evans ● 1998d

I personally don't think that paying £1.55 on the rare occasion of getting an early appointment is too much! Now that you know that you have to pay before 9am, you can take a card with you.  After all, you would be taking your Freedom Pass anyway so take a card along with it!  By the time you come back from your appointment, you would probably be able to use your FP anyway.

Sarah Bucknill ● 1996d

I used the bus earlyish to take the dog to the park.I was barred entry to an empty bus.  Ho hum, the dog will have to sleep a bit longer, or cross her legs.    £1.55 is too much

James Roy ● 1996d

'£1.55 is too much'I was startled to read yesterday that the bus fare in Manchester is four quid. Andy Thingy wants to cut that to £1.50. You can't get much for £1.50, not even a cup of coffee at a café. It's very reasonable, especially now you can change buses en route.

Susan Kelly ● 1996d

It's all very well saying a bus is cheap at £1.50 but it is too expensive for what it is.The official HMRC mileage rate that you can claim if you use your car for work is 45p per mile.  If you already own a car, then for a 3 mile journey, it's more expensive to get the bus than drive.If you can, cycling is the best option in London.  As long as you don't buy an expensive new bike every 2 or 3 years, it should work out at less than 10p per mile.

Al Webber ● 1996d

Oh flipping Nora,and its only Monday. God help us all in the coming week 

Julian Pavey ● 1996d

AW > "The official HMRC mileage rate that you can claim if you use your car for work is 45p per mile.  If you already own a car, then for a 3 mile journey, it's more expensive to get the bus than drive."I'm fairly certain that you can claim the whole £1.55 bus fare.

John Whitworth ● 1996d

I can't believe that anyone would consider changing a hospital appointment simply to avoid paying £1.55 for a bus. The Nanny State has certainly clouded the mind!

Steve Taylor ● 1991d

You don't have to go as far as Manchester, some fares in Berkshire around Slough or Reading are £4.00 or more. A relative in Langley Marish checked if she could get to work on two buses total distance six miles. Fare...£5.50 each way!

N V Brooks ● 1991d

I can’t think of a better reason for the Freedom Pass than to use it attend hospital appointments.  It seems a great shame people can’t use it for early morning appointments.

Kerry Chandler ● 1991d

'I can’t think of a better reason for the Freedom Pass than to use it attend hospital appointments.'When the Freedom Pass first came in it couldn't be used until 9:30. People trying to use were referred to as Twirlies (too early). Johnson removed that limit as part of a vote-buying spree in his Mayoral campaigns, along with the introduction of the 60+ card.I feel that people have got rather spoiled that they are crying out against a temporary restriction. As someone else said, delaying a (presumably important) hospital appointment to avoid paying £1.55 is little short of madness.

Susan Kelly ● 1991d

"it's more expensive to get the bus than drive."That's assuming that you can find parking that costs you less than 20p at the other end.

Andrew Jones ● 1990d

What does parking in and around Brentford/Chiswick cost on main roads these days i.e. how much per hour?

Anne England ● 1990d

Albany Parade Brentford is £4.50 for two hours.

N V Brooks ● 1990d

As the Original Poster, may I reply to some of the comments? I have not refusedd to pay the pre-9amm fare, I merely asked the driver (at 9.30) if the restriction was still in force. Now that I know it is, I will use my debit card to pay if the need arises.The appointment I had to change was scheduled for 9am at the Eye Hospital in Marylebone. To get there be bus from Hammersmith takes over an hour, plus the time needed to get to Hammersmith. Add to that the time needed for me to get myself up, washed, dressed, breakfast etc, and you're looking at a very early start for me. I'm old and slightly disabled.When I recently had a cancer op. at CHX, starting at 8am, my kind son-in-law got himself up, etc, came down from Hanwell and got me there on time. I wouldn't ask him to do the same for the Marylebone jaunt, when I could request a change of appointment time. I now can be there by 13.40 on the 24th, and would be happy to give details of how I fared on the journey, both ways if required.I still wonder why this time restriction is in force.

Arnold Saxton ● 1990d

The time restriction is because you still need to social distance on buses and people need to get to work so the bus companies would prefer to fill available spaces with paying customers rather than those enjoying freebies

Steve Taylor ● 1990d

If you were going to the Western Eye Hospital, appointment times there are a work of fiction as they ordinarily run a couple of hours late. They will also rebook the time if you call them. I regularly used to take a disabled neighbour and her carer to WEH and we always rebooked her early morning clinic appointments to miss the rush hour, never a problem in doing this.

N V Brooks ● 1990d

South Parade (which the 94 and 272 go along so I'd count it as 'quite' a main road) is £1 per hour.

Andrew Jones ● 1990d

I'm sure bus companies would prefer paying customers and equally I'm sure Arnold would prefer to not need to go to hospital, rather than enjoying a 'freebie'.

Andrew Jones ● 1990d

Andrew Jones: What an eldist thing to say of Freedom Pass holders ~ as if oldies hadn't contributed during decades of working life toward respectful of the retired and elderly their later in life 'benefits' which, by comparison to other first-world European and other nations, is or are derisory by way of State Pension and whatnot? On the contrary one might suggest hospitalers booked for early morning consultations, surgery and other hopefully NHS efficacious hospital callings could announce to bus drivers, as so many exempt of mask wearers do "I'm exempt in order to attend my hospital appointment ~ otherwise I might die thank you very much." Whereupon, the Freedom Pass holder gets on the bus and refuses to budge.

Bobbie Carnegie ● 1990d

Not quite sure what you are trying to say Bobbie. If you think I was suggesting that freedom pass holders had it easy, please re-read my previous post.

Andrew Jones ● 1990d

Oh, and read the post I was replying to as well.

Andrew Jones ● 1990d

I have a freedom pass but work for the nhs & have to be at work for 8 so Still need to pay travelling in to work.

Donna Mccann ● 1990d

"I still wonder why this time restriction is in force."Because during the morning peak buses are expected to be full of people going to work and children going to school, and those with the Freedom Pass are assumed to be retired and therefore their journeys are less time-critical. Obviously there are exceptions to this assumption, but broadly speaking it is valid.

Richard Greenhough ● 1990d

I agree,Richard and as it is a dispensation and not a right have no issue with it being time restricted.For the odd time I may need to pay, fair enough.

Keith Iddon ● 1989d

Steve Taylor explained" I can't believe that anyone would consider changing a hospital appointment simply to avoid paying £1.55 for a bus. The Nanny State has certainly clouded the mind!"Indeed not. And if you actually read what he posted, itsevident the driver didn't actually tell him the cost £1.55 or the fact that he could pay by CC. Only that he couldn't use his Freedom Pass.So that quite probably had Mr Saxby been made aware of these facts at the time he would have decided differentlyand not cancelled his appointment. Thus rendering 90% of this thread redundant at a stroke.The alacrity with which some people are prepered to jump down other peoples throats over seeming trifles when it is they themselves who are at fault is a constant source of amusement. michael adams...

Michael Adams ● 1989d

Yes Michael, and in my experience you are an expert at that.

Keith Iddon ● 1989d

Keith Iddon suggested:" Yes Michael, and in my experience you are an expert at that."Keith, you really need to put all that bitterness and resentment behind you. You know it makes sense.michael adams...

Michael Adams ● 1989d

I guess you didn't read Mr. Saxton's second post - "The appointment I had to change was scheduled for 9am at the Eye Hospital in Marylebone. To get there by bus from Hammersmith takes over an hour, plus the time needed to get to Hammersmith. Add to that the time needed for me to get myself up, washed, dressed, breakfast etc, and you're looking at a very early start for me. I'm old and slightly disabled."So it seems that he re-scheduled the appointment due to the early start it would have required, not because of the bus fare.

Richard Greenhough ● 1989d

I'm not sure that the restrictions apply to the Disabled Person's Freedom Pass.https://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/services/freedom-pass/disabled-persons-freedom-pass/eligibility

Philippa Bond ● 1989d

" I guess you didn't read Mr. Saxton's second post - "" So it seems that he re-scheduled the appointment due to the early start it would have required, not because of the bus fare."...IOW, this entire thread, all 35 posts is totally irrelevant. Given the actual reason he couldn't keep the appointment was simply because it was too early; and had nothing whatsoever to do with that fact that he couldn't use his Freedom Passbefore 9.00 a.m. Rendering his conversation with the driver, an entire waste of time into the bargain.This subsequent change of explanation will of course have nothing whatsoever to do with the totally unwarranted stream of criticism Mr Saxton faced, solely on account of his not knowing that the fare would have been only £1.55

Michael Adams ● 1989d

Keith: A 'dispensation'? Here we go again with a patronising of the elderly. Next thing it'll be Freedom Passes are God Given. What say you Sadiq?

Bobbie Carnegie ● 1989d

I'd forgotten this - thanks Susan:"When the Freedom Pass first came in it couldn't be used until 9:30. People trying to use were referred to as Twirlies (too early). Johnson removed that limit as part of a vote-buying spree in his Mayoral campaigns, along with the introduction of the 60+ card."It reminded me of the 'rebate' that LBE Tory Council offered us all before an election when we could see buildings needing maintenance and members of the community needing help.  We had a long thread discussing which charities we could give this rebate to because it just left such a bad taste in the mouth.There are always a lot of people who do not claim all the benefits that they are entitled to - so it is always worth getting your income checked out:https://www.ageuk.org.uk/services/information-advice/guides-and-factsheets/money-guides/Forms can be long and complicated and I believe that there are people - perhaps like Age UK? - who are used to filling them in.

Philippa Bond ● 1988d

I went into the office last Monday and was told by a tfl employee that I could go through the gates at Ealing Broadway before 9.00 which I did. Tried the same thing at Hanger Lane today and the computer said no! Wonder if the gates at Ealing Broadway work to underground times i.e next train in 1 minute?

peter king ● 1988d