I'll be collecting my pension next year and looking forward to it. However, i'll have to agree with the motion that free travel for OAP's at peak time can be done without. I live in the West of Ireland, just 5kms from a good railway station and have had conversations with older people over the past few years as to what they get up to in order to pass the time. One example is, a few of them take the train once a month to Heuston station and have their lunch, a little tipple, in a very nice pub/restaurant in Parkgate street, then they ramble down once again to Heuston and take the train home again. Nice way to spend a few hours and all free apart from the lunch, tipple. Other days it's Galway on the bus, or maybe Sligo or wherever. Good for them but taking the peak times out of it won't hurt too many in my opinion and should be done. So what if they/me tend to vote, we won't all vote against a Goverment that does it. Fair is fair and the pension ain't too bad, more so if you multiply it by 2.
Why are those with free travel allowed to use it during rush hour?
- Thread starter Brendan Burgess
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RETIRED2017
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Well you did not seam so happy when you posted about changing the tax relief from 40% to 20% on pensions
The problem which I suspect you know already is some like myself and my employer have paid in a large amount of money in PRSI over 40 years others had to pay very little for the same pension tinkering with the bus pass is not going to solve this
People who were used of paying in very little will see big changes the chickens are on there way home to roost there will be a little wailing and crying like we had with the usc it just will take some longer than others most would be supporters of doing away with the bus pass in rush hour for all the good it is going to do them
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RETIRED2017
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I am retired and i meet the type you are on about some paid in a lot others paid in very little good luck to them you will find for the most part the people who did not have to pay in much would be like your self they would not vote against the government if they took away the bus pass in rush hour
The people who paid in a lot in PRSI in the most part would vote against the Government and the Government keep looking over there shoulder to see if they are happy ,
RETIRED2017
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Do you walk the five km to the railway station ,I suspect there are not many rush hours in your neck of the woods so no problem' voting for something when it will not affect you ,
I would expect in your neck of the wood people who can no longer drive because of age and cost/health and depend on the goodness of others to help them get to places out of there walking range sad to see the goodness of others in short supply in some quarters i think it is the penny looking down on the halfpenny syndrome,
You will not have to look very far to see they same people on about the bus pass in rush hour would cut your pension if they could get away with it seeing you paid quite a bit PRSI rather than close loop holes in the system I wonder why,
It is going to be a very nice day so better go enjoy the Sun and the well earned not so free bus pass when I take all of the prsi i paid into account,
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RETIRED2017
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Common since would tell you that there is something else driving this it is seeing more and more tax legal loopholes being closed and looking around to see who you can blame,
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I think Robert Watt is top man in the department responsible for reform i suspect he is going to have to close some more tax legal/PRSI loopholes to keep the show on the road he is just trying to take the bad taste of what is coming down the line next and looks like it is working a treat,calls for him to resign is just what the doctor ordered so he can move against other lobby groups who had the ear of Government until now saving the bacon of his Political Masters,
The problem with reform in Ireland as we seen with the USC is the hit everyone to pay for loopholes left in the system like usc on all income you can be sure we will see more smart people blaming bus pass at peak times and not able to see the real reason they are asked to pay more so others pay less for the same service,
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Question Why are those with free travel allowed to use it during rush hour
Answer because if it was stopped it would allow the transport Providers to raise additional revenue from people who we as taxpayers already paid for when the need to travel at peak times,
the only good thing is some of the people who would like to see this brought in are high tax payers who will be paying tax for a service not provided and love the Idea it is called cutting off your nose to spite your face ,
Quote not stop them from travelling taxpayers pay once and the people needing to travel at peak hour pay again very good idea if you like paying high taxes ,
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Do you walk the five km to the railway station ,I suspect there are not many rush hours in your neck of the woods so no problem' voting for something when it will not affect you ,
I would expect in your neck of the wood people who can no longer drive because of age and cost/health and depend on the goodness of others to help them get to places out of there walking range sad to see the goodness of others in short supply in some quarters i think it is the penny looking down on the halfpenny syndrome,
You will not have to look very far to see they same people on about the bus pass in rush hour would cut your pension if they could get away with it seeing you paid quite a bit PRSI rather than close loop holes in the system I wonder why,
It is going to be a very nice day so better go enjoy the Sun and the well earned not so free bus pass when I take all of the prsi i paid into account,
I told you where I lived, but i've family, friends, close relatives and others who live where rush hour is indeed rush hour (in the Irish sense) and yes they do avail of the free pass, like I said I don't begrudge them but please, don't belittle anyone for not being in a rush hour commute. A little respect goes a long way and begrudgerry will get you nowhere.
Is that a bad thing? I don't think any of our transport providers are rolling in money. You make money while you can and that subsidizes the quieter times.
My current provider leaves people behind each morning at their bus stops as demand outstrips capacity. It's a private operator, I don't know why they can't provide more buses .
In fairness I haven't noticed a large amount of older people so it's not filled up by OAPs.
Where does begrudgery come into it? We're talking about a scarce public resource - road space and public transport - where demand outstrips supply. It seems reasonable to consider if steps can be taken to reduce demand on those rush hour routes where this is the case, and probably many routes serving hospitals could be exempted as during morning rush hour if they are out of town then the commuter flow would be in other direction.
There might be an argument for not allowing free travel passes to be used to reserve seats during peak hours but I would be reluctant to say they can't travel on public transport during peak time. Where do we draw the line? Do we stop them travelling where there are large events on because of increased demand? Do we tell them that if they want to get a flight or another train, then they need to make sure they don't arrange one for a certain time because they won't be able to get to the airport/train station? The free travel pass is brilliant for older people and I think the benefits far outweigh the cost. If there are savings to be made, it would be on fake passes, unnecessary companion passes, the complete abuse of the pass based on disability (amazing how many perfectly fit young people who are able to get on a bus with a pass and their 'companion')...Sometimes think that drug addiction is now classed as a disability...
There were over 1300 passes confiscated last year. Would think it was safe to assume that this is only a small percentage of the problem...
There were over 1300 passes confiscated last year. Would think it was safe to assume that this is only a small percentage of the problem...
My parents are well off and they get free travel. Occasionally my mother drives my father down to the LUAS in her Merc so that he can go into town and eat fine food and drink expensive wine with his equally or more well off friends. If they are both going they get a taxi. Why on earth should they get free travel (or a GP medical card)? Disability includes people with mental health issues, including young people. Is an addict getting to an AA or NA meeting less worthy of support than an older person being given a free pass that they don't need?
The reason busses are so busy is because of the incompetence and corruption of the generation which is now retired. Not only did they bankrupt the country and then look after themselves at the expense of their children by protecting their pensions through higher taxes on those children but they presided over the disastrous planning that means their children and grandchildren need to commute for hours each day. Then they want to ride for free on the same busses and trains while complaining about young people etc.
As a generation our pensioners, in general, are the worst generation this country has ever produced and those now in their 20's and 30's are probably the best. They are the generation who have freed us from bigotry, racism and homophobia. They are less corrupt and more tolerant than my generation and mine is less corrupt and more tolerant than the one that came before.
Pensioners should have a bit more respect for their betters and choose not to further damage their children; take the bus/train later or, even better, pay for their ticket if they can afford to. Their children and grandchildren are already paying their pensions (in the knowledge that they'll never enjoy the same sort of pensions) is that not enough?
T McGibney
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One of the richest men in my own county, a large factory owner, often parks his Rolls Royce near my office and heads off to Dublin on the free bus. I wish I was exaggerating.
That's a bit generalistic isn't it. It is the now retired generation who were mainly beaten, sexually abused and neglected by Church and State hence the tribunals of today. Not kids of today. It is the now retired generation who faced forced emigration before the era of Skype and the internet never to return and lost all contact with families at home. Now people choose to travel. It is the now retired generation who worked through the 1980's with high interest rates and income tax rates of up to 65%. Not every pensioner today is the same as your parents and are enjoying large pensions. My parents certainly aren't. My parents and grandparents also didn't bankrupt this country and I willing to guess that most people here would say the same so I have no idea what yours for a living for you to make statements like that. My parents worked just as hard to provide opportunities for me that I am now doing for my daughter. I have no idea how you can rank generations but I certainly wouldn't belittle challenges that older generations had to overcome to get us this point.
Maybe he just believes in saving the environment!!