Sheffield freedom ride pensioners

[lily may]

This topic is getting boring. I'm 65 and if I need to go to another city I expect to pay. The concessions are to help OAP's get to shops hospitals doctors social clubs etc not for having jollies around the Uk. I very much despair that the outcome from the Freedom Fighters stupid action will end in our existing concessions being pulled because the rest of the travellers that pay will not support us being treated differently. Sometimes it's better to be seen and not heard.

Edited July 11, 2014 by lily may

[No User Name]

I cant imagine for the life of me that they will (re)introduce Leeds to Barnsley/Doncaster/Sheffield buses for the sole reason of allowing Granny to have a day out in Leeds, a day out she can easily have in Sheffield.

 

Those "demands" are ridiculous.

[boldforester]

Totally agree with last 2 posts. Until the ConDems changed the rules, I would have qualified for pass last year, so can have a semi-objective take on it. I agree that social exclusion is an issue, and potentially serious. But the solution to that is getting folk engaged or re-engaged in their local communities, not about taking t'train to Leeds. I'd expect to pay for that, making use of my senior railcard, even assuming I totter over the line next year (and the goalposts haven't shifted again).

[Annie Bynnol]

 

WHY ARE THE FREEDOM RIDERS PPROTESTING?

 

1. Two people are travelling from Sheffield to Leeds by ‘Northern Rail’ train from Sheffield to Leeds. Both of them are disabled, one is paying, the other is free. They both have passes. The only difference is the person paying is a pensioner.

2. Sheffield, England’s fourth largest city, is the only city in the UK, that has no bus link to any other city.

3. SYPTE has a contract with Stagecoach supertram, that each time a mobility, child pass, or a pensioners pass is used they are paid £1.40. There is no limit on the amount Stagecoach supertram can receive. They also let anyone else in the country use a pass on their network.

4. I can not use my mobility pass on the London tube, so why can Londoners use our tram system.

5. No Pensioners or disabled groups were consulted with during the proposed cuts..

 

 

1. Pensioners now aged 60 do not have any bus or tram free travel and will soon be 66+ for everybody. You have that and want more.

2, ENCTS was never intended for inter city travel.

3. A contract is a contract and will cost more to change.

4. One is a tram another is a train and because most of TfL is not deregulated and is operated more for the benefit of the user than the shareholder.

5. No children, parents, student, rural, late or early shift users, no pensioners between 60 and 65 let alone those users who belong to no group were consulted either.

[boldforester]

Yeah, and as an everyday user of public transport (and on a work pension, and in work) I get totally ****** off with the "twerlies" who get on bus/tram at 09:25 and hope to spend 5 minutes haggling with driver on conductor until their pass becomes valid. I just wanna say (but haven't yet) "What's the chuffing rush? Ya got all day!) LOL

[sheff1johnny]

I cant imagine for the life of me that they will (re)introduce Leeds to Barnsley/Doncaster/Sheffield buses for the sole reason of allowing Granny to have a day out in Leeds, a day out she can easily have in Sheffield.

 

Those "demands" are ridiculous.

 

I was saying they could replace the train service with a bus service, and also it wouldn't be an exclusive service to pensioners. I just feel that this option may be more cost effective than paying for trains to west Yorkshire. Also then rail companies would also lower their price to compete for business. It isn't a demand, its a suggestion.

 

---------- Post added 11-07-2014 at 18:01 ----------

 

Yeah, and as an everyday user of public transport (and on a work pension, and in work) I get totally ****** off with the "twerlies" who get on bus/tram at 09:25 and hope to spend 5 minutes haggling with driver on conductor until their pass becomes valid. I just wanna say (but haven't yet) "What's the chuffing rush? Ya got all day!) LOL

 

Can't disagree with you, as my mum says "just cos it says 9.30 its not an order."

 

---------- Post added 11-07-2014 at 18:11 ----------

 

to plain talker, at least we agree on point 2

Edited July 12, 2014 by sheff1johnny

[No User Name]

You want to replace train services with bus services? Now you are just being stupid. Is it April 1st?

[Resident]

have passes. The only difference is the person paying is a pensioner.

2. Sheffield, England’s fourth largest city, is the only city in the UK, that has no bus link to any other city.

 

The relevancy of this can be quashed simply by asking why is it upto First SY/Stagecoach SY to provide services to other cities?

 

Why doesn't First/Stagecoach WY provide one?

[RollingJ]

The relevancy of this can be quashed simply by asking why is it upto First SY/Stagecoach SY to provide services to other cities?

 

Why doesn't First/Stagecoach WY provide one?

 

Not having a dig at you Resident, but for sheff1johnny and others of like mind, is it not because there is insufficient demand to enable them to run the service commercially? Just asking.

[Andy]

3. SYPTE has a contract with Stagecoach supertram, that each time a mobility, child pass, or a pensioners pass is used they are paid £1.40. There is no limit on the amount Stagecoach supertram can receive. They also let anyone else in the country use a pass on their network.

 

This is the same as they pay the bus operators. So if free tram travel was withdrawn, there would be little benefit because most of the journeys would be made by bus instead. In any case I do believe the contract with Stagecoach stipulates that they will receive the same reimbursement as a bus operator. I doubt Stagecoach would be willing to renegotiate.