Should we get rid of free travel of OAPs?

Meanwhile in London free public transport for disabled AND free taxis for those severely disabled/over 80 or 90.
Ireland is way behind Britain.
Free transport for the elderly is a minimal cost and a sign of us being a decent developed 1st world country (like our neighbours Britain)

​

__________​

"What is Taxicard?​

The London Taxicard scheme provides subsidised door to door journeys in licensed taxis and private hire vehicles for London residents who have serious mobility or visual impairments.

It is funded by the London boroughs and Transport for London and managed by London Councils on their behalf.

Who is eligible for a Taxicard?​

You are automatically eligible for a Taxicard if you:

  • Receive the Higher Rate Mobility Component of the Disability Living Allowance
  • Receive 8 points or more for the Moving Around Activity component of the Independence Payment
  • Are registered severely sight impaired or blind (not partially sighted)
  • Receive a War Pension Mobility Supplement
  • Receive the Armed Forces Independence Payment (mobility element)
  • Receive Higher Rate Attendance Allowance (only in Barnet, Hackney, Islington, Kingston, Newham, Redbridge, Sutton and Westminster)
  • Have a Blue Badge (only in Hammersmith & Fulham)
  • Age-related (in the following boroughs only)
    • 80 years of age or older in Islington
    • 85 years of age or older in Barnet and Redbridge
    • 90 years of age or older in Kingston
 
k
Purple said:
Twilight years? At 66 when you get your "other people pay for it pass" your life expectancy is around 90.

I'm sure it is.

Giving free things to rich people, funded by both poor and rich people, isn't what I would call generous.

Again, why is taking something from rich people which is funded by both poor and rich people mean spirited?

True; old people are very entitled and they vote.

Why? What's the financial cost of not giving it to rich old people?
Click to expand...
There is much disillusionment out there at present. Bitterness even. The events of the past few years have impacted many. That was not the fault of any particular demographic. What happened was savage and unpredictable. We need to be careful not to turn on each other.
 
Magillagorilla said:
k

There is much disillusionment out there at present. Bitterness even.
Click to expand...
There is indeed. Usually misdirected.
Magillagorilla said:
The events of the past few years have impacted many.
Click to expand...
Yes, but the young are mainly paying for it.
Magillagorilla said:
That was not the fault of any particular demographic.
Click to expand...
No but the fixes have mainly benefitted the old.
Magillagorilla said:
What happened was savage and unpredictable.
Click to expand...
It certainly wasn't unpredictable, not in the case of Covid and certainly not the 2008 Crash. The former was expected and the latter was inevitable.
Magillagorilla said:
We need to be careful not to turn on each other.
Click to expand...
Exactly. Those with wealth shouldn't expect to keep getting free stuff from those with less than them just because they are old.
In fact the one thing that the vast majority of the people who caused the 2008 crash have in common is that they are now pensioners. Thankfully from their perspective nobody's turned on them even though as a cohort they are most responsible for the crash and benefitted most from the subsequent remedial measures.

A little contrition, a little humility and a little gratitude wouldn't go amiss.
 
Purple said:
A little contrition, a little humility and a little gratitude wouldn't go amiss.
Click to expand...
+1
Fat lot of thanks we got for shutting large sectors of the economy and human life in general for the guts of two years to protect older people.
 
T McGibney said:
+1
Fat lot of thanks we got for shutting the economy for the guts of two years to protect older people.
Click to expand...
Yep, the hubris of old people thinking that children missing two years of school, tens of thousands losing their jobs, people losing their businesses and our National Debt hitting a quarter of a trillion to protect them (rather than them doing more to protect themselves or just losing some weight) wasn't even worth a thank you.
 
Well the vast majority of deaths arising from covid *whether from transfer to nursing homes of elderly/directly attributable are reported as taking place in the over 65s.
So there's a lot of dead people who can't thank you because.. they're dead.

Many older people quietly help their adult children:
Often assisting with grandchildren when there are issues of dysfunction and more seriously, addiction.
Financially and emotionally.

They don't tend to talk about this publicly (for reasons including stigma) but I assure you it's widespread.

Give older people a break.
 
Magillagorilla said:
There is much disillusionment out there at present. Bitterness even. The events of the past few years have impacted many. That was not the fault of any particular demographic. What happened was savage and unpredictable. We need to be careful not to turn on each other.
Click to expand...
Agreed!
What an uninspiring and depressing thread this has become.
 
Bolter said:
Well the vast majority of deaths arising from covid *whether from transfer to nursing homes of elderly/directly attributable are reported as taking place in the over 65s.
So there's a lot of dead people who can't thank you because.. they're dead.
Click to expand...
Nobody has asked for gratitude from the dead. A tad from the living would be nice.
 
Bolter said:
Well the vast majority of deaths arising from covid *whether from transfer to nursing homes of elderly/directly attributable are reported as taking place in the over 65s.
So there's a lot of dead people who can't thank you because.. they're dead.
Click to expand...
Yes, but both Bloomberg and The Lancet said we had the best Covid response in the world. Therefore fewer old people died here because of the sacrifices made by young people.
Bolter said:
Many older people quietly help their adult children:
Often assisting with grandchildren when there are issues of dysfunction and more seriously, addiction.
Financially and emotionally.
Click to expand...
But they aren't doing that for the children and grandchildren of strangers. Young people showed a remarkable social solidarity during Covid, the opposite of what their parents and grandparents showed after the 2008 crash. Young people made those sacrifices for people they'd never met.
Bolter said:
They don't tend to talk about this publicly (for reasons including stigma) but I assure you it's widespread.
Click to expand...
I never hear older people stop talking about it!
Bolter said:
Give older people a break.
Click to expand...
Sure they've taken everything else so why not!
I'm just not happy that the rich ones get free travel, o free anything else for that matter. Rich people should not get welfare payments. That shouldn't be too contentious and it isn't until you insert "old" after "rich".
 
Purple said:
Yes, but both Bloomberg and The Lancet said we had the best Covid response in the world. Therefore fewer old people died here because of the sacrifices made by young people.

But they aren't doing that for the children and grandchildren of strangers. Young people showed a remarkable social solidarity during Covid, the opposite of what their parents and grandparents showed after the 2008 crash. Young people made those sacrifices for people they'd never met.

I never hear older people stop talking about it!

Sure they've taken everything else so why not!
I'm just not happy that the rich ones get free travel, o free anything else for that matter. Rich people should not get welfare payments. That shouldn't be too contentious and it isn't until you insert "old" after "rich".
Click to expand...
You get a pension that is based on your contributions. All income is taxed. Non contributory pensions are means-tested. If you have assets apart from your home and a certain amount of savings these pensions are reduced or not paid at all.
 
Magillagorilla said:
You get a pension that is based on your contributions. All income is taxed. Non contributory pensions are means-tested. If you have assets apart from your home and a certain amount of savings these pensions are reduced or not paid at all.
Click to expand...
Yea, but the vast majority of people don't pay enough PRSI to fund their State Pension. Children's allowance and carers allowance isn't taxed and that's income.
 
Brendan, instead of focusing on the Free Travel Pass, why not focus on the age tax credit of €235 that everyone gets in the year that they turn 65?

It's of no benefit to the less well off, as they don't pay any tax, until their income exceeds €17,000 which is well over the value of the State pension.

I got it (on the double, as I'm married) in the same year that I received my retirement lump sum (tax free), so I had absolutely no need for it and I'm sure that many others are in the same situation. Sure, it was a nice little bonus to get, but it was also wholly unnecessary.

So why not focus your shotgun on it, rather than on the Free Travel Pass? (another unsolicited goodie that I got when I turned 66, but which is of very little use to me, although, unlike the age tax credit, it probably is of significant benefit to the less well off.)
 
Free Travel for OAP's is way more than than just an economic benefit. I have no issue with free travel as I know it encourages older people to partake in activities that they might not otherwise do. My mother is a widow and has a great social life with her friends and various retirement groups heading off to different places. It keeps her engaged and it keeps her active. Especially as she has stopped enjoying driving anywhere outside her local area. Do a lot of OAP's need free travel? No they don't. But I think there is a social benefit that is often overlooked.

To be honest, there are much bigger ticket items than OAP's and free travel that we need to tackle first.
 
Purple said:
Yep, the hubris of old people thinking that children missing two years of school, tens of thousands losing their jobs, people losing their businesses and our National Debt hitting a quarter of a trillion to protect them (rather than them doing more to protect themselves or just losing some weight) wasn't even worth a thank you.
Click to expand...

@Purple @T McGibney

I don't usually rise to the bait on these type of threads but I find your views and comments to be horrible and extremely upsetting.

My beloved and beautiful Mother was one of the old age pensioners who died of Covid in hospital where she was receiving treatment for cancer. She did not need to lose weight and neither she, nor we, could do more to protect her unfortunately.

Kindly stop and think in future about who you are offending before you post.
 
Access to transport is one of the major social determinants of health. Free travel is in fact a public health intervention that benefits both the individual and society in general.
 
Sunny said:
I have no issue with free travel as I know it encourages older people to partake in activities that they might not otherwise do.
Click to expand...
Then why not pay golf club memberships for everyone over 66? It's good for health and sociability too.

The issue is whether the income of over 66s prohibits them from using public transport and enjoying the benefits it brings. I would argue that it increasingly doesn't.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top