Bus passes

Pudsey Bear

Pudsey Bear

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Last trip we got talking about bus passes and as Liz is now old enough to get one we wondered if it was worth it and where we could use it, there was a thread somewhere that said you could only use it in the town it was issued as there was no reciprocal agreement to use it anywhere so doesn't anyone have and use theirs when away in the van?
 
Scotland is pretty much countrywide usage, Kev. I think the English system is valid throughout England, but I stand to be corrected. As far as 'worth it?' is concerned, we use the Bus Service regularly for local trips [saves giving up our on street parking space, and the bus gets us about 400m closer to the Town Centre.

We can also get reduced rate train fares for longer trips

Steve
 
I have googled it but the info is a bit sparse and not very conclusive so far.
 
We’ve found they work in all towns we’ve tried, and countryside, in England, on local busses but not on express or intercity services
 
marchie said:
Scotland is pretty much countrywide usage, Kev. I think the English system is valid throughout England, but I stand to be corrected. As far as 'worth it?' is concerned, we use the Bus Service regularly for local trips [saves giving up our on street parking space, and the bus gets us about 400m closer to the Town Centre.

We can also get reduced rate train fares for longer trips

Steve
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I was not aware of that ref trains. Is that Scotland-wide again?

Pudsey Bear said:
Last trip we got talking about bus passes and as Liz is now old enough to get one we wondered if it was worth it and where we could use it, there was a thread somewhere that said you could only use it in the town it was issued as there was no reciprocal agreement to use it anywhere so doesn't anyone have and use theirs when away in the van?
Click to expand...
Is it worth it? I don't think there is a cost involved to you to get the pass is there? if not, there would seem no reason not to if you used the pass even once.
I am not really a bus user, but one major use could be if you use Park&Ride to avoid driving into a town. Having a Bus Pass would let you both park for free and get the bus into the town centre for free. Win-Win :)

It is a shame there is no truely National pass that allows a UK Citizen to travel on Buses in the UK with their pass (i.e. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) but that is a benefit of devolution I guess.

I do have a Bus Pass as in Scotland they hand them out to mere spring chickens like myself, not just wrinkly old pensioners like you :D
And with MINE, I can travel on Buses in England actually, but only selected ones and the ones with either START or TERMINATE in Scotland. It does mean that you can get a Bus to Berwick or Carlisle though (not that I have done so).
(I don't know if this cross-border access is for certain Scottish Council passes only? I don't think it applies to any English passes - I have a friend with a Scottish Pass and her mother (obviously older!) has an English Pass. and I remember her saying that on a recent cross-border bus journey her trip was free but her mother had to pay.)


PS. I was slightly amused that the company that processed the SCOTTISH Bus Pass (actually a 'Concessionary Card' as it is multi-purpose and is also a Library card, for example) was in Portsmouth ;)
 
wildebus said:
I was not aware of that ref trains. Is that Scotland-wide again?


Is it worth it? I don't think there is a cost involved to you to get the pass is there? if not, there would seem no reason not to if you used the pass even once.
I am not really a bus user, but one major use could be if you use Park&Ride to avoid driving into a town. Having a Bus Pass would let you both park for free and get the bus into the town centre for free. Win-Win :)

It is a shame there is no truely National pass that allows a UK Citizen to travel on Buses in the UK with their pass (i.e. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) but that is a benefit of devolution I guess.

I do have a Bus Pass as in Scotland they hand them out to mere spring chickens like myself, not just wrinkly old pensioners like you :D
And with MINE, I can travel on Buses in England actually, but only selected ones and the ones with either START or TERMINATE in Scotland. It does mean that you can get a Bus to Berwick or Carlisle though (not that I have done so).
(I don't know if this cross-border access is for certain Scottish Council passes only? I don't think it applies to any English passes - I have a friend with a Scottish Pass and her mother (obviously older!) has an English Pass. and I remember her saying that on a recent cross-border bus journey her trip was free but her mother had to pay.)


PS. I was slightly amused that the company that processed the SCOTTISH Bus Pass (actually a 'Concessionary Card' as it is multi-purpose and is also a Library card, for example) was in Portsmouth ;)
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David,

The train fare concession is limited to off peak travel in Fife, and costs £1 per ticket. We took a cruise about 6 years ago that departed from Dundee, so chose to use the train. It was 50p each for the train to Leuchars, but almost £5 each for the train to Dundee! A costly crossing of county boundaries!

Steve
 
My is it worth it comment David was prior to finding it was England wide and too late to edit the OP.

Shame it's not UK wide of course, but I was meaning if it was worth getting one if it was just local to me as we just use the car locally as it's usually a shopping trip, but if we can use the bus when away and I can get the walker on the bus then it will be worth us getting them, I think mine may have expired I got it three years ago and never used it as we're not on a bus route.
 
I've had a bus pass for several years. My experiences:
1. Cornwall Council issued mine and it's valid everywhere in England on busses that accept passes from their relevant council. But isn't valid on National Express, Falcon, Megabus, etc.
2. My bus pass is not valid in Scotland or Wales. AFAICT, each country runs its own scheme since devolution and Scottish and Welsh passes are not valid in England either.
3. Not all Park & Ride services accept my bus pass (e.g. Truro) but I've used it for Park & Ride both in Plymouth and Oxford.
4. Certain times of day are usually excluded, typically before 09:00 or 09:30 and after midnight. AIUI, this has given bus pass holders the nickname of "Twirlies" (from pensioners producing bus pass and asking, "Am I too early?" (aka. "Am I twirly?")
 
marchie said:
David,

The train fare concession is limited to off peak travel in Fife, and costs £1 per ticket. We took a cruise about 6 years ago that departed from Dundee, so chose to use the train. It was 50p each for the train to Leuchars, but almost £5 each for the train to Dundee! A costly crossing of county boundaries!

Steve
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Ah.
I just had a look and there is no mention of Train (concessions) on the website for my pass issuer. Shame.


wildebus said:
And with MINE, I can travel on Buses in England actually, but only selected ones and the ones with either START or TERMINATE in Scotland. It does mean that you can get a Bus to Berwick or Carlisle though (not that I have done so).
(I don't know if this cross-border access is for certain Scottish Council passes only?
Click to expand...
On the above point, I read the following:

"You can use your NEC for free/discounted/concessionary travel on public transport in your local area and across Scotland.

Carlisle and Berwick-upon-Tweed travel​

Your NEC is valid on services to and from Carlisle and on services to and from Berwick-upon-Tweed from anywhere in Scotland.
It is not valid for travel within these towns."

So covers all Scottish Bus Passes (aka NEC passes) for Berwick and Carlisle, not just the Borders ones, going by that.
More info here: https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/info...port/160/free_bus_travel_and_young_scot_cards
 
Some Councils will let you choose between a discounted rail card or a free bus pass, as others have said, bus passes vary in terms of use with P&R's, Shrewsbury charges £1 return with a pass, £2 without.
 
We have used our bus passes in kent and Suffolk and they can be used in England. In fact there is a book which gives routes to take using just bus pass around the country....Bus Pass Britain Book..50 routes
 
You can travel anywhere here on the old farts bus/train pass, would i want to get on a bus with old fat farting ladies and drunk husbands talking cr-p, noooooooooooo, I can do that at home myself.
 
trevskoda said:
You can travel anywhere here on the old farts bus/train pass, would i want to get on a bus with old fat farting ladies and drunk husbands talking cr-p, noooooooooooo, I can do that at home myself.
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Told to me by a then Area Home Care Manager, so an expert witness ...

'What's 1/4 mile long and stinks of urine?

'The Pension queue at the Post Office'

Of course, the transfer of the payment method direct to Bank Accounts has ruined that joke/truism, yet they call it progress ... :D

Steve
 
Must be worth it.
I use mine all the time in England.
Shopping trips and hospital.
Quite lucky in that our "home campsite" in Maidenhead area is well served.
Nida has to pay so she sends me shopping one person.
Good for me as I can look for odds and ends.
And get a Greggs lunch !
Many campsites have a nearby bus link to a town.
Not sure PnR qualify because of the parking component.
 
jagmanx said:
Must be worth it.
I use mine all the time in England.
Shopping trips and hospital.
Quite lucky in that our "home campsite" in Maidenhead area is well served.
Nida has to pay so she sends me shopping one person.
Good for me as I can look for odds and ends.
And get a Greggs lunch !
Many campsites have a nearby bus link to a town.
Not sure PnR qualify because of the parking component.
Click to expand...
If you have a blue badge or qualify you can get a disabled bus pass and can take another person with you.
 
jagmanx said:
Must be worth it.
I use mine all the time in England.
Shopping trips and hospital.
Quite lucky in that our "home campsite" in Maidenhead area is well served.
Nida has to pay so she sends me shopping one person.
Good for me as I can look for odds and ends.
And get a Greggs lunch !
Many campsites have a nearby bus link to a town.
Not sure PnR qualify because of the parking component.
Click to expand...
Sounds like Nida saving money on the bus fare costs more in the long run :)
BTW. Bus fares are currently capped at £2 a journey so might be cheaper then when you were last over?

I think the park and ride charge might depend on who provides the bus. For example, the Edinburgh park and rides all seem to be part of normal bus routes rather than a shuttle-like service and so they are covered by the Scottish NEC card (bus pass).
 
It's a shame it isn't reciprocal it'd benefit the none English pass holders too.
 
Pudsey Bear said:
If you have a blue badge or qualify you can get a disabled bus pass and can take another person with you.
Click to expand...
I'm glad I don't have a disabled Bus Pass. Mine still works ... :rolleyes:

Or, as Henning Wehn said when hosting the 'Live at the Apollo' Comedy Show in the aftermath of the 2016 Referendum, 'People ask why I don't swear in my act. I tell them I don't have to, because I come from Germany where things work ... And, before you tell me that I'm an immigrant, let me remind you that immigrants move to a better country, but I chose to move to England! So that makes me an expat ...' :D

It was a brilliant routine, culminating in his producing a copy of VIZ, which was written by Geordies, and saying that he used the text to learn colloquial English. 'So, I can now understand Alan Shearer, and the best bit is, if the TV Company ever does a remake of 'Auf Weidershen, Pet, I;ll be able to play all the parts, including the German Site Manager, as a One Man Show ...' :D

Steve
 
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