Lost free Travel pass, need it urgently

CrystalLettuce

I lost my free travel pass either last night or this morning and am panicing heavily. I basically need it for this friday and given how slow sligo are(they also managed to lose my first form) there's no way I'm going to get it in time. I can't afford the crazy train prices up to dublin and get ill on bus journeys.

I went to the Garda Station and they told me I just needed to get a form from the bus station and bring it back to them, and I'd have it quickly, but they said no at the Bus Station, I have to go to Sligo with it.

I think it's pretty silly, people with mental disabilities like autism are going to lose these pretty easily and panic when they do so. There should be a better system.

Is there any way I can qualify for free travel without the pass? Some kind of temporary pass?

I really cannot afford to travel otherwise.

mikedragon32

I'm moving this to commuting and transport, you'll get advice from folk with a good knowledge there hopefully.

Godge

CrystalLettuce wrote: »

I lost my free travel pass either last night or this morning and am panicing heavily. I basically need it for this friday and given how slow sligo are(they also managed to lose my first form) there's no way I'm going to get it in time. I can't afford the crazy train prices up to dublin and get ill on bus journeys.

I went to the Garda Station and they told me I just needed to get a form from the bus station and bring it back to them, and I'd have it quickly, but they said no at the Bus Station, I have to go to Sligo with it.

I think it's pretty silly, people with mental disabilities like autism are going to lose these pretty easily and panic when they do so. There should be a better system.

Is there any way I can qualify for free travel without the pass? Some kind of temporary pass?

I really cannot afford to travel otherwise.

What category of free travel pass did you hold?

CrystalLettuce

Godge wrote: »

What category of free travel pass did you hold?

The regular one, for disability. No time limits.

AlekSmart

I have been shown,and have accepted,a form stamped by a Garda,which states that the holder has reported their Social Welfare Pass as Lost/Missing.

The form looks fairly standard-issue and has the bearers PPS Number on it.

I think it may be available from Post Offices/SW Offices but Garda Stations should also have them.

Failing that,I would ask to see the Sergeant at your LOCAL garda Station and ask him to accept a Stolen/Lost Pass report and give you written Garda confirmation of same having been made.

Sometimes the Organ Grinder is required rather than the Monkey,who may be busier.

Good Luck with your quest .

Vic_08

AlekSmart wrote: »

I have been shown,and have accepted,a form stamped by a Garda,which states that the holder has reported their Social Welfare Pass as Lost/Missing.

The form looks fairly standard-issue and has the bearers PPS Number on it.

I think it may be available from Post Offices/SW Offices but Garda Stations should also have them.

Failing that,I would ask to see the Sergeant at your LOCAL garda Station and ask him to accept a Stolen/Lost Pass report and give you written Garda confirmation of same having been made.

Sometimes the Organ Grinder is required rather than the Monkey,who may be busier.

Good Luck with your quest .

I have been shown this along with all sorts of other of papers in lieu of actual passes and have not ever accepted any of them.

There is NO proof that the bearer of any "I lost my pass form" is in fact a valid passholder, anyone can walk into a Garda station and report one lost/stolen and get such a form.

Either way ONLY an actual pass (with CIE ID card where required) is valid for travel and only that is accepted by me.

People who lose travel documents they have paid for have to pay again, and rarely will they argue with this. Only those who get it all for free seem to think they are entitled to travel even without their passes.

Give peole something for free and they simply don't respect it, the sooner this joke of a scheme self-destructs the better.

CrystalLettuce

Vic_08 wrote: »

Give peole something for free and they simply don't respect it, the sooner this joke of a scheme self-destructs the better.

Sorry, how is it a "joke" of a scheme?

The passes exist for a reason. In my case, I am not very independent from parents and don't have a care worker. Since I live apart from my parents, I have to make regular trips back home which I would not be able to afford to do otherwise.

It's not really fair to say people don't "respect" it and it's easy for you to say things like that from a (most likely) priveleged position.

If train prices were not so ridiculous in this country compared to the mainland, it wouldn't be as much of an issue. I simply don't have 70 quid for a return ticket, I checked online too and there are no cheap prices. As it is, I have made plans around the ability to travel for free so I am figuring out what to do now I can't. I am sure people who lose their travel papers would similarly panic if they could barely afford to replace them and needed to be somewhere by the end of the week. And they're likely priveleged enough to have a decent job and not have a mental/social disability that makes it even more difficult to sustain one.

These sort of right wing viewpoints are almost always based on a near sociopathic lack of will to understand other's situations. This is a thread for help with an issue, not a place to dump your general lack of understanding.

BrianD

CrystalLettuce wrote: »

I think it's pretty silly, people with mental disabilities like autism are going to lose these pretty easily and panic when they do so. There should be a better system.

There isn't any system to help you other than allow another adult to hold your pass for safekeeping.

Heard that there's big changes to the travel scheme coming with the new public services card.

FloatingVoter

The form appears to be here...http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Forms/Documents/ft27.pdf

Information on it is here....http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/extra_social_welfare_benefits/free_travel.html

I hope thats of some use.

AlekSmart

CrystalLettuce wrote: »

Sorry, how is it a "joke" of a scheme?
If train prices were not so ridiculous in this country compared to the :eek: mainland :eek:, it wouldn't be as much of an issue. I simply don't have 70 quid for a return ticket, I checked online too and there are no cheap prices. As it is, I have made plans around the ability to travel for free so I am figuring out what to do now I can't. I am sure people who lose their travel papers would similarly panic if they could barely afford to replace them and needed to be somewhere by the end of the week. And they're likely priveleged enough to have a decent job and not have a mental/social disability that makes it even more difficult to sustain one.

These sort of right wing viewpoints are almost always based on a near sociopathic lack of will to understand other's situations. This is a thread for help with an issue, not a place to dump your general lack of understanding.

CrystalLettuce,I rather suspect that Vic08's stringent language stems from the experience of many Public Transport Operational Staff in recent years.

I would agree with the basic message of Vic08's summation ie; The current DSP Free Travel Scheme is fast becoming unsustainable in it's present format.

If the many irregularities and shortcomings are not attended to ASAP then the ENTIRE scheme will collapse leaving everybody adrift on a sea of high fares.

I would also point out that the availability of Free Travel on "The Mainland" (Gulp !!) has never been as widespread or freely available as it has in Ireland (Sud) and the recent redefinition of the many local UK Free Travel arrangements into a "National" scheme continues to be fraught with major issues over funding and operation.

As Vic08 points out,the conditions of the DSP Free Travel Scheme are very simple..No Pass-No Free Travel...subject to the Lost-Document procedure.

I have,as Vic08 alludes to,noticed a substantial upsurge in pieces of paper,stamped or otherwise and usually semi-legible being shown to me.

In most cases now,if I cannot be certain of the persons status I will take up the piece of paper but allow them travel whilst advising them that I will be submitting it to Head Office where they can get it back along with some assistance in securing a replacement pass.

Nine times out of Ten the bearer will respond along the lines of "Ah here fcuxk that Bud,I'll fcuxxin pay instead ".....:)

All that said,I hope you got sorted ?

CrystalLettuce

That's not really my fault though. I have disability allowance and I receive one for genuine reasons, it would be extremely difficult to cope without it. Having free travel gives people who are not fully independent much greater ability to live away from home, and also helps cover the costs of running around the country after various specialists. Mainland western europe simply has better services and cheaper transport in general.

I rarely use it for leisure reasons.

If they're being handed out excessively that just means they need to crack down on that, not that the whole scheme is a joke and needs to be scrapped.

I think I might have my old pass somewhere, which was falling apart, but perhaps they'll still take it.

FloatingVoter

Crystal, some of the replies you have received to a specific query were downright rude. I don't know you, and I don't have the right to judge you. Nor do any of the other posters. Should they have a problem with the disability pass system in general, I am sure they are capable of creating their own thread expressing their opinions.

I wish you luck in the future.

AlekSmart

CrystalLettuce wrote: »

If they're being handed out excessively that just means they need to crack down on that, not that the whole scheme is a joke and needs to be scrapped.

I think I might have my old pass somewhere, which was falling apart, but perhaps they'll still take it.

Sadly CrystalLettuce,that description of the current state of the Free Travel scheme is reasonably accurate.

I think,as BrianD referred to,the introduction of the chipped DSP card will se a parallell restructuring of the entire Free Travel scheme,a process which will be interesting in itself.

As an aside CrystalLettuce,you mention your "Old Pass",which is falling apart.
Does this mean the DSP issued you with a replacement Free Travel Pass before ?

If so did you fill out a lost-pass form on this occasion or were you ever asked to return your old Free Pass in order to recieve a replacement ?

Oddly enough the DSP regulations appear quite unspecific on the issue of Lost Documents,whilst advising of the need to report the matter to the Gardai,the Department do not appear to allow for the use of that Report Form as a Temporary Pass in itself ?

You may well have stumbled upon a significant weakness in the DSP's procedures.

Please keep the Board informed on how you progress ?