Elderly taking shelter from rising costs on trains, group claims

TheBandicoot

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/elderly-taking-shelter-from-rising-costs-on-trains-group-claims-248041.html

Active Retirement said it is aware some pensioners travel in small groups, bringing packed lunches and flasks of tea, making the day trip weekly so they can pay their gas or oil bills at the end of the month.

Mad story all together. Don't know how much truth is in it.

corktina

why not? I intend to use the trains often when and if I get free travel! A weekly trip to various places would be interesting and , indeed warm and comfortable (ish) (Going to throw the loo rolls out of the window too!

maggiepip

Ive heard this said before over the years but Im not sure. Would it not be warmer to wrap up in a duvet with a hot water bottle? Not saying they should or anything.

Gatling

Gas most pensioners i know get more money a week than family's get off Sw ,

Bruddygulp

Absolutely bizarre story. The elderly are the most protected cohort in the state, having been insulated from the cuts the rest of society (including the disabled) have had to suffer. They receive more free money per week than a young unemployed person, who may have young children to support. The various lobby groups can put away the tiny violins and cease with the emotive guff about the poor aul wans shivering in their bedsits. The amount of free allowances they get is staggering - fuel allowance, telephone allowance, medical cards etc

Next time there is a thread complaining about over-crowding on the trains on your way home from work, we all know who is to blame. The gang of biddies who never even paid for a ticket. Sickening. When are we going to get a government with balls to reform the free travel pass? Our politicians live in fear of the grey vote, which is probably only second to the beards in terms of lobbying power in this country.

murphaph

Wtf are these pensioners doing with the €230pw + €20pw (fuel allowance) + home benefits package + living alone allowance perhaps? (that's the bare minimum any of them would be getting from the state). That's at least €255 pw in the hand during the colder months. €55 is more than enough for food for a week for one person and the vast majority of pensioners own their own homes and the ones that don't are likely in social housing paying very low rents.

In short, Irish pensioners have literally never had it so good and I am particularly sick of hearing about how difficult life is for them. Life must be much harder for a 30 something with a family and mortgage who's lost his job and doesn't qualify for dole because of his spouse's meagre income. Stories like this are coming from an industry that feeds on "promoting the needs of pensioners", Most of those involved in these "charities" are taking home nice salaries and many of these "charities" receive taxpayer funding to pay these wages. I don't think people realise how many such quangos are feeding from their taxes.

LXFlyer

Part of the original rationale of the FTP was to get people out of their homes and out and about.

I actually see this as a positive story rather than a negative one.

Far better to see older people getting out and about and meeting people rather than becoming recluses at home.

Banjoxed

Bruddygulp wrote: »

Absolutely bizarre story. The elderly are the most protected cohort in the state, having been insulated from the cuts the rest of society (including the disabled) have had to suffer. They receive more free money per week than a young unemployed person, who may have young children to support. The various lobby groups can put away the tiny violins and cease with the emotive guff about the poor aul wans shivering in their bedsits. The amount of free allowances they get is staggering - fuel allowance, telephone allowance, medical cards etc

Next time there is a thread complaining about over-crowding on the trains on your way home from work, we all know who is to blame. The gang of biddies who never even paid for a ticket. Sickening. When are we going to get a government with balls to reform the free travel pass? Our politicians live in fear of the grey vote, which is probably only second to the beards in terms of lobbying power in this country.

There's a slight flaw in your cunning plan- the elderly vote. Witness the surprise at nearly every vote by the mighty warriors of politics.ie.

Bruddygulp

lxflyer wrote: »

Part of the original rationale of the FTP was to get people out of their homes and out and about.

I actually see this as a positive story rather than a negative one.

Far better to see older people getting out and about and meeting people rather than becoming recluses at home.

I see this same argument regurgitated again and again. No matter how many times it's countered, socialist cheerleaders will still force it. I'd appreciate if you could address each of my points:

1. I'm not asking to abolish the free travel pass, but to reform it. Keep it for local travel only at off-peak times. The current situation where an OAP can travel from Tralee to Belfast for free is ridiculous. Surely this is a reasonable proposal?

2. The pensioners are trading sitting in their homes with sitting in a train. They're not even going anywhere. They're travelling for the sake of travelling, treating it like a picnic day out.

3. These free OAP trips inflate passenger figures for loss-making lines like the WRC, thereby keeping the failed line open and continuing the bleeding of money.

4. They take up space on the rush hour trains. So the working man is paying twice - for his own ticket and for the pensioner's "free ticket" via tax. And to top it off he doesn't even get a seat!!

kerry4sam

Bruddygulp wrote: »

I see this same argument regurgitated again and again. No matter how many times it's countered, socialist cheerleaders will still force it. I'd appreciate if you could address each of my points:

1. I'm not asking to abolish the free travel pass, but to reform it. Keep it for local travel only at off-peak times. The current situation where an OAP can travel from Tralee to Belfast for free is ridiculous. Surely this is a reasonable proposal?

2. The pensioners are trading sitting in their homes with sitting in a train. They're not even going anywhere. They're travelling for the sake of travelling, treating it like a picnic day out.

3. These free OAP trips inflate passenger figures for loss-making lines like the WRC, thereby keeping the failed line open and continuing the bleeding of money.

4. They take up space on the rush hour trains. So the working man is paying twice - for his own ticket and for the pensioner's "free ticket" via tax. And to top it off he doesn't even get a seat!!

1) I'd maintain the free travel, irrespective of where they want to travel to. Who is to say they don't have relatives long distance away who cannot travel to them & using this FTP is the only way of visiting?

2) I was seated alongside a lady some time back Cork -> Dublin IE who was travelling for the sake of travelling. I don't know if this was a once off; regular event by her; but it is kinda sad though that some feel the need to actually do this, don't you think?! That their are some people out there who don't feel safe n warm in their homes and have to resort to this unfair measure.

3) Whatever about inflating figures, I am sure if they felt an alternative available, then the OAP's would take it. I am sure some would prefer not to have to resort to these measures

4) I gave up my seat to an elderly lady some time back and yes, I ended up sitting on the ground on the train from Dublin Heuston -> Kildare, eventhough I pre-booked my seat. To say 'he' doesn't get a seat - how do you know that 'he' didn't chose to give up their seat? Where actually are you getting that stat that 'he' doesn't get a seat - where are those stats by you to validate that?

Thanks,
kerry4sam

murphaph

kerry4sam wrote: »

1) I'd maintain the free travel, irrespective of where they want to travel to. Who is to say they don't have relatives long distance away who cannot travel to them & using this FTP is the only way of visiting?

Then why not extend the scheme and pay for airline tickets as well, based on exactly the same logic?

Jamie2k9

Irish Rail have heating on trains, whoever know that :rolleyes:

Wonder if this is correct

The Department of Social Protection is undertaking a review of the free travel scheme and is believed to be considering ways of cutting the €75m bill, including possible means testing, a levy, and restricting hours of access.

ted1

There's about as much truth in that story as in the Bertie's accounts.

No numbers are giving, it smacks of a sensational article with no proof or figures to back it up

DundalkDuffman

Not an Irish story but on 2 of the last 3/4 times on the Holyhead to Chester train I was speaking to pensioners who were doing just that. They decided with their free travel that they'd do a day to the coast from their homes in York and I think Ripley. Costing them nothing and for one couple they didn't even get off the train in Holyhead!
I remember thinking at the time that the poor sailrail passengers who couldn't then get a seat for their actual commute were being short changed but it was tempered by the fare from Dublin to Chester only being 35yoyos.
I'd well believe a story similarly happening here

Vic_08

DundalkDuffman wrote: »

Not an Irish story but on 2 of the last 3/4 times on the Holyhead to Chester train I was speaking to pensioners who were doing just that. They decided with their free travel that they'd do a day to the coast from their homes in York and I think Ripley. Costing them nothing and for one couple they didn't even get off the train in Holyhead!
I remember thinking at the time that the poor sailrail passengers who couldn't then get a seat for their actual commute were being short changed but it was tempered by the fare from Dublin to Chester only being 35yoyos.
I'd well believe a story similarly happening here

That is a truly fantastic(al) story.

Someone is talking ****e, either you are meeting a lot of compulsive liar coffin dodgers or ...

There is no such thing as a free travel pass for most GB rail travel.

The only significant exception being the London Freedom Pass which is valid on rail services after 09.30 Mon-Fri and all day on TfL run serices (Bus, Tram, DLR, Underground,Overground). It is only available to Pensioners and ASESSED disabaled who reside in London.

Outside of London OAPs and disabled qualify for an ENCTS card which is valid on all local registered bus routes throughout England, most operators restrict this to off-peak travel. The London scheme is also an ENCTS card.

For the vast majority of Rail travel the most pensioners and disabled get is access to a railcard which costs 20-30£ a year and entitles them to 1/3 off of most rail fares.

Long distance coach services offer even less, National Express have a scheme similar to the Railcard of a charged annual card giving a 1/3 discount on certain fares but this is in reality a promotional product not a statutory entitlement and they could alter or discontinue it at any time. Some other coach operators don't have any discounts.

Scotland has a more generous scheme which includes most scheduled bus services including coach services and certain local authorities also grant their residents free local rail travel.

The Welsh scheme is similar to the English one and of course by far the most generous scheme in the UK is the Northern Irish one.

It also is worth noting that apart from the ROI/NI cross acceptance none of the UK schemes are valid outside of their issuing country.

BuffyBot

A non-story indeed.

A group says a group of other people might be doing something, but equally, they might not be.

In other news, a pensioner today may have bought Rich Tea biscuits instead of Digestives..