Free bus pass

[Annie.]

Would the cost of the free bus passes pay for bus pick ups?

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[marymck]

Children don't get free bus travel outside London and their journeys are much more difficult. I think there's a lit to be said for the school bus. One journey to and from school. And I'd also like parents to teach their children to give up seats for adults instead of vice versa.

Many other areas also get free bus travel Mary, heres one of many examples:
http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/10001 ... vel_pass/1

Googled this and there are many more too.

I followed your link, to where it said ...

A travel pass allows a child to travel to and from school free of charge on a bus, train or tram in the Greater Manchester area.

No time to follow up on this now, to check whether other areas have the same broad sweep of free transport for children that London does.

I have no problems with children travelling (as seems to be the case in the link you posted) to and from school for free - one journey to and one journey from school per day. However, I still think it would be better done with school buses, enabling the paying passengers to actually get on the buses.

I don't think they should be allowed to get on and off the bus willy nilly - nor should food be consumed on buses.

I definitely don't think they should be able to travel on all buses at all times free of charge. They should pay half fare.

[Annie.]

Maybe a nominal amount would be acceptable? 20p each bus for example? However, it still doesnt resolve the point that its good exercise/mindset to have to walk to fro school,when possible.

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[Annie.]

And I also think like you Mary with regards to eating/ drinking/ feet on seats/dogs on seats/ manners being used,but then if I could I would even ban mobile phones,I hate the chat/swearing, I dont want to hear what people did last night, or what they plan doing tonight, thank you very much!

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[Eagle]

Well said Annie could be me speaking.

Uncouth behaviour is a disgrace

[Annie.]

Dont say that Eagle, " they" will think its a conspiracy!

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[Eagle]

Ha ha Annie

Sorry but do agree with you on this matter , as many others.

[14BradfordRoad]

And I also think like you Mary with regards to eating/ drinking/ feet on seats/dogs on seats/ manners being used,but then if I could I would even ban mobile phones,I hate the chat/swearing, I dont want to hear what people did last night, or what they plan doing tonight, thank you very much!

I doubt anyone likes the behaviour as you describe above.

In the case of free bus travel in Manchester (for Schools travel) it does state that this
priviledge can be removed for bad behaviour, abuse, whatever at any time. It's not so hard
to make these rules, much harder applying them though!
Have you ever tried to ask a group of youngsters to moderate their language or refrain
from using their mobile phone (note: amputation would be required for this)?

[14BradfordRoad]

No time to follow up on this now, to check whether other areas have the same broad sweep of free transport for children that London does.

Sorry Mary, I thought you were talking about free bus travel to and from School..

[Eagle]

It is the all time use by children including those obviously truanting which is the worse problem I think.

School travel can be a problem as well.

[Annie.]

14b,I was on the 356 bus going to the hospital to visit my dying relative (which was not ideal frame of mind) when there was a group of boys age approx 14,there was an elderly couple waiting at the doors to get off,when these twats started throwing chrisps at them,then the pkts half empty,i watched this old couple and my blood boiled,so i ot up and rammed the packs of chrisps i had picked up,down the shirt of the mouthy one,they were all shouting and swearing at me,telling me their" rights" the bus driver did absolutely nothing, I had a child of 14 with me at the time, she wa terrified,I should not have lost my temper,but my god they push you too far sometimes,since then and various other "incidents" i very rarely travel by bus,only as a last resort. This was a saturday,as a tax payer I had contributed to their fares, their free bus pass should be too and from school only, perhaps then their parents would know where they are and what they are doing.Sorry -rant over.

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[Eagle]

Annie

Well done.

[JulietP]

I salute you.

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[Rachael]

There are terms and conditions on behaviour that go with a kid's Oyster card. If they misbehave the driver can confiscate it, so alert the driver if you see bad behaviour by teens on a bus.

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[Annie.]

The driver wasnt the least bit interested,in fact he tried to shut the door when myself and my niece were only half off! with the boys still throwing things ,swearing etc,
Just like the 227 driver who shut the doors on my daughter,despite having a head wound pumping out blood when she was being beaten up and tried to get away,so no, I dont have much faith in them at all.

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[marymck]

Oh Annie that's horrific. I do hope your daughter wasn't too badly injured physically, but it must have been a traumatic experience emotionally. (I was bullied at one school I went to - by the deputy head, as well as pupils - and my stomach still churns when I hear the name of the place.)

But sadly I'm not surprised the bus driver didn't help. Too many of them sit protected in their flexiglass little bubble. Every day you can see something that shows their indifferencd to passengers: be it doors closed in people's faces as they're trying to board, driving off before elderly or disabled passengers have had a chance to sit down, letting (certain) people board without paying/

There are some very thoughtful and helpful bus drivers, but sadly these now seem to be in the minority.

And the scrum that takes place to board a bus! I'm sooo glad my mum doesn't live in London any more. She could never cope. It really is the survival of the fittest, most aggressive. It kind of shocks me to go to other cities and see that people still queue for buses!

[Annie.]

Thank you Mary,I wont say anymore,because I dont want to identify her, but she wrote a long letter to the police a while after the court case, because they had lost the evidence, hadn't taken the wine bottle that was used to dust for prints, in fact the judge gave Bromley police a week to come up with the " lost evidence" or someones head was going to roll, they did find some of it. I think the worst thing was the fact she had just done a 12 hour shift,saving up to go travelling at the time, but she still managed to go and had a fantastic time.

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[Manwithaview1]

The driver wasnt the least bit interested,in fact he tried to shut the door when myself and my niece were only half off! with the boys still throwing things ,swearing etc,
Just like the 227 driver who shut the doors on my daughter,despite having a head wound pumping out blood when she was being beaten up and tried to get away,so no, I dont have much faith in them at all.

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I would complain to the bus company stating when and which bus it happened and ask for camera evidence to be looked at. Make sure they still have the records of all the kids oysters as they would have been beeped onto the bus concerned. If you do not get a decent response I would taking further to the TFL ASB dept.