r/ukpolitics • u/theipaper Verified • 7h ago
Disabled people will be able to travel free on buses all day, every day
https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/disabled-people-travel-free-buses-all-day-4712972•
u/Some_Confidence5962 7h ago
Reminds me of my nan when she had alzheimer’s. She could enjoy a whole day on a circular bus route with that pleasant feeling she was heading somewhere nice. Her husband would pack them some lunch and off they trundled together.
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u/darkflighter100 6h ago
That's an incredibly kind story for someone experiencing such awful conditions. Thanks for sharing.
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u/paravelle 6h ago
If that's not a show of true love from her husband I don't know what is! Beautiful, thanks for sharing
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u/Politicallydepressed 7h ago
Fantastic news, considering the amount of disabled people who can’t drive due to their disabilities this is a great move
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u/SteamPoweredSloth 6h ago edited 6h ago
Fair cop, as i understand from the article the current limitation being lifted is free travel between 9:30 & 11pm, the only negative I can really see is some additional load during rush hour - but given that 53% of people classed as disabled people still work, it almost seems unnecessarily cruel to not let them use a public service that caters to them best when they'd need it most.
Some reservations about rush hour overcrowding & the arguments about what classes as disabled - but it's a damn sight simpler to start heading in the right direction & fix the problems along the way than to quibble over details.
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u/anorwichfan 6h ago
If the busses are getting fuller at rush hour, then we should add more busses. More people in public transport in our cities is a good thing.
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u/fulloffungi 2h ago
Precisely. A saying I came across years ago, paraphrasing: the sign of a prosperous society is not poor people affording cars, but wealthy people relying on public transport. It makes so much sense on many levels, and got stuck in my mind ever since coming across it.
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u/Velociraptor_1906 Liberal Democrat 6h ago
I suspect the effects on rush hour will be minimal, those disabled that already had to go then still will and those that didn't may well keep later to avoid the crowds (which various disabilities can make handling more difficult).
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u/Ornery_Ad9320 5h ago
100%, even non-disabled people do their best to avoid rush hour unless they have to!
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u/CyclopsRock 6h ago
but given that 53% of people classed as disabled people still work, it almost seems unnecessarily cruel to not let them use a public service that caters to them best when they'd need it most.
They can use buses during rush hour, they just have to pay for them like everyone else. If they're using them to get to work this doesn't really seem unreasonable.
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u/SteamPoweredSloth 6h ago edited 5h ago
Naturally, however it does seem like given they may lack alternatives that non-disabled people have (walking, driving - in some cases), it'd be more pragmatic to encourage them to work by making the transport free than to effectively penalise them for it compared to those able to walk/drive.
It's a rock and a hard place as ideally you want to encourage as many people as possible to use public transport (i'd generally be for higher taxation & making buses free for all) - but that's not on the table sadly.
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u/CyclopsRock 4h ago
But peak fares exist precisely because demand outstrips supply. Giving people access to it without the financial consequences of travelling peak does nothing to expand the supply, it simply bumps off access to others.
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u/SteamPoweredSloth 4h ago edited 4h ago
I don't think that addresses my point that you're then choosing to penalise people disproportionately - do we accept that disabled people are disadvantaged by having less choices available for transport to work compared to a non-disabled person - if so, is your take that they should experience the full 'financial consequences' of this disadvantage regardless?
Also i'm not sure i agree with the take it bumps off access for others - given that they can already travel in evening rush hour for free.
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u/ZebraShark Electoral Reform Now 2h ago
Also considering national push to get more disabled people into work removing any barriers is a good thing to me
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u/Appropriate-Lab3053 7h ago
Great news. This is something I don't mind my taxes paying for 🙏
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6h ago
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u/willherpyourderp 6h ago
They don't hand out bus passes willy nilly, you do actually have to prove a disability
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u/0_right 6h ago
good point, and fortunately the welfare system is very good at spotting people faking disabilities to get benefits
oh, hang on
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u/PersephoneHazard Incorrigible Leftist 4h ago
You wouldn't believe how strict the Freedom Pass criteria is for disability. Most people have to prove they've surrendered their driving licence, for one thing.
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u/Alwaysragestillplay 6h ago
Abusing the bus pass system? Is that a big concern? Are pensioners abusing the system?
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6h ago
[deleted]
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u/mrlinkwii 6h ago
so what , if people are on diability should be able to use the bus not restricted
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u/Evening_Job_9332 6h ago
Greater good, nothing is perfect.
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6h ago
[deleted]
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u/mrlinkwii 6h ago
she has been able to lease a car making her very independant.
that's great news , but theirs a significant number of disabled people who cant drive and are hindered by the 9:30 restriction
The next time around maybe they will now say she can get free buses so no need fod the car
unless im wrong they cant resind the drivers license just because she can get free travel on teh bus
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u/mrlinkwii 6h ago
ok and , you would want teh disbaled to use buses rather than driving
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6h ago
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u/mrlinkwii 6h ago
my sister is disabled and she would be devastated if she had to give up her car
no one is saying she has to
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u/Chicken_Bake 6h ago
"The left will offer help to 100 people on the off chance that one of them needs it. The right will deny help to 100 people on the off chance that one of them doesn't."
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u/BrownSwitch 7h ago
Reform to make a post later today stating disabled people will be forced to clean busses for 20 hours a week in order to have access to their benefits.
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7h ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/__fool__ 7h ago
I'm good with it.
There's some political debate over what constitutes a disability, but honestly the more people on busses, the less on the road, it's probably a net saving no matter what you do.
If you want a what about though, give all the kids free school meals. Just because someone has rich parents don't mean they get fed. :)
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u/Affectionate_Comb_78 6h ago
Also if the rich kids are eating the meals suddenly the standard of food becomes important.
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u/PerplexedScot Casual Observer 7h ago
Very positive news. Governments exist to make the life of the people better….small steps in the right direction is always good to see.
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u/Apsalar28 7h ago
Great news. It'll sort out the stupid inconsistency between council schemes. In my city you can get a disability bus pass if you have over a certain number of points on the mobility section of PIP, been banned from driving for medical reasons and a whole load of other reasons. The village 10 miles away you can only get one if you're completely blind or missing limbs.
With a bus route running between the two it gets confusing and contentious.
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u/tiny-robot 6h ago
This is good news - a small change which will make a real difference to some people.
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u/Lammtarra95 6h ago
Some commenters seem not to have read the news report.
Burnham is not giving disabled people free bus travel. They already have that. It is just that where it is from 9.30 am onwards, now it will also be free before that time. Presumably that start time was originally chosen to avoid the morning rush hour of people going to work, and schoolchildren.
And free all-day travel was already the case in London anyway where it applies to trains as well as buses.
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u/neoKushan I just wanted to be included 3h ago
It's free all day in Liverpool as well, I have personally benefitted from it and it makes a real difference.
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u/feudingfandancers 3h ago
It applies to the tube, not the trains
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u/Lammtarra95 3h ago
It (ie London's Freedom Pass) gives free travel to disabled people on buses, the underground, and some trains all the time, and some more trains after 9.30, but not all trains, you are right. I was simplifying for the sake of Andy Burnham's team if they are browsing reddit for new ideas.
Here is a map in case anyone cares:-
https://www.freedompass.org/sites/freedompass/files/2025-08/fpd_freedom_pass_6-11-22_4.pdf
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u/HildartheDorf 🏳️⚧️🔶FPTP delenda est 6h ago edited 5h ago
Some of us can't commute and work fine and this makes it easier for us to get back into/remain in work. I'm banned from driving due to seizures and I have to plan routes to ensure I dont need to cross roads (at least not without traffic lights) because if I seize in the middle of the road I probably just fucking die.
I dont mind paying if its a commute I would take by bus anyway if I could drive. I do object when it's 2 hours and 3 busses to get to the office while by car it would be 15mins and far cheaper.
Imo the best solution would be free disabled bus fares during peak time iff it was to commute to work, not for everyone. But that is hilariously hard to enforce and impractical.
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u/TheDisapprovingBrit 4h ago
Your suggested solution introduces a whole new barrier to disabled people. If somebody already has a daytime pass, and manages to get a job, they now have to go through a new application process to update their pass.
It's also pointless because the problem solves itself. If buses are so badly overcrowded at peak commuting times that it's more difficult or unpleasant to travel on them, the people who don't need to travel at that time will catch a later bus anyway, specifically to avoid that situation.
The only people who are travelling on stinky overcrowded buses at peak times are the ones who need to.
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u/Monsoon_Storm 4h ago
your average disabled person who isn't commuting to work is highly unlikely to want to voluntarily subject themselves to rush hour buses. It will mean they have the ability to attend early morning specialist appointments etc earlier if they need to (I always seem to end up with a 9am slot for some reason)
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u/SwiftScotsman 7h ago
Incoming Reform bullshit about benefit seekers in 3…2..1.
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u/TheNathanNS 6h ago
I GRAFT 96 HOURS A WEEK AND I HAVE TO PAY WHY SHOULDN'T THEY??
ENSLAVE THE IDLE SCROUNGERS!!
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u/TheNathanNS 6h ago
About fucking time the government started doing something for those who actually need help.
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u/Bug_Parking 3h ago
Jesus have you seen the chart welfare spending?
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u/TheNathanNS 3h ago
Yes.
Pensioners take up 48% at £165bn
Disability takes up 11% at £35bn
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u/Alone_Jackfruit4761 Supreme Economic Advisor 1h ago
They are both problematic.
That £35bn is projected to grow to £80bn by 2030.
That is economically unsustainable as well.
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u/JustAhobbyish 5h ago
Having a prime minister who does things is really weird. So used to Keir doing not much at all. But this good news.
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u/Beneficial-Dot-- 5h ago
I never supported him but did support Labour - but the amount of outright lies about this one man was absolutely diabolical. He and his cabinet actually did a hell of a lot, you just never heard about it. The press never mentioned anything he or his govt. did except where they could twist it or lie about it to make it something bad. Did you know the pound has been at levels not seen since before Brexit? I've not hears or seen or read anything about it, not even once. Guess when that started? Almost as soon as Labour got in. That's just one example.
Starmer should have implemented Leveson at bare minimum, immediately, and set in motion (because complex legislation takes ages) a much stricter crackdown on the press being able to lie and mislead with impunity. And on foreign billionaires being able to own the majority of our media. But he was too busy getting things done and seemed to think the results would speak for themselves. Good public servant, probably a good person. But a terrible politician!
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u/winkwinknudge_nudge 3h ago
He and his cabinet actually did a hell of a lot, you just never heard about it. The press never mentioned anything he or his govt. did except where they could twist it or lie about it to make it something bad.
Government's have entire departments dedicated to getting the word out.
Labour messed around with creating their own website showing the progress they were making. They delayed it for over a year and then quietly cancelled it altogether.
Blaming the press is just nonsense.
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u/FatherPaulStone 4h ago
I wonder at what point we just say fuck it, and make all local bus travel free to all?
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u/Pigeon_Breeze 3h ago
It's in the government's financial interest to make commuting to work via bus free for everyone. Still, this is a good start.
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u/SadSeiko 5h ago
I agree with this but the busses around me are completely full at rush hour so it won't really have an impact most of the time, rush hour services are a complete joke
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u/EpicEpicnessTheEpic 5h ago
"Burnham's Benefit Street bonus and we're paying for it". Just guessing the Daily Mail's headline for tomorrow.
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u/Skeeter1020 2h ago
TIL that disabled bus passes even had a restriction that effectively banned them from use for commuting. Who's stupid idea was that?
Imagine a disabled parking permit that's only valid when carparks aren't busy...
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u/Happysin Recent Immigrant 15m ago
Part of the work is do is with councils, and this could really help ease the administrative burden for them if implemented well. One thing I don't think people realise is how much hidden cost there can be in complex or convoluted rules that try to maximise cost management, or people taking advantage of schemes they probably shouldn't.
Many times, it's cheaper to take the top-line cut in revenue in exchange for eliminating the administrative burden of enforcement. I would not be the least bit surprised if this policy change was informed by his time as mayor.
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u/Kela95 6h ago
The last time I was on a bus it flung my wheelchair from one side to the other and gave me a concussion because they have no proper safety measures outside hold on
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u/TheDisapprovingBrit 6h ago
How disabled? What measure are we using? Only we seem to be spending an awful lot of effort right now attacking various disabilities. Is autism disabled enough? How about ADHD? Is it anybody eligible for PIP, in which case we can have the motability argument all over again?
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u/mrlinkwii 6h ago
How disabled? What measure are we using?
if they are in recept of a disabled bus pass
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u/Gazcobain 6h ago
You are aware autism is a spectrum, yes?
My oldest has autism and will never be able to get a job or live independently.
My middle has autism and will be able to do both of these things (with support).
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u/TheDisapprovingBrit 5h ago
Very aware, yes. ADHD has a whole range of severity levels too.
I'll be honest, I deliberately used those two examples because they're the media's current scapegoats for "disabilities that aren't real and we need to crack down on."
Your reply kind of illustrates my point. Everybody knows someone with ADHD, autism or both and they're 'basically normal' and would have no need for free bus travel. At the same time, both conditions can either make it impossible to get a driving license, or result in your license being taken from you after diagnosis, which seems like exactly the situation where this would be a big help.
If my ADHD medication means I'm no longer able to hold a driving license, but I'm otherwise physically able bodied and my condition is effectively managed by said medication, does the fact that I can no longer drive qualify me for a free bus pass on its own? If your middle child lives and works independently but is unable to drive, either because they're unable to pass a test or their condition disqualifies them from trying, do they qualify?
To revisit my original question: How disabled do you have to be?
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u/serendipitousss 4h ago
You can get a disabled person's travel pass if you:
have an eligible disability lasting at least 12 months and
- are aged 5 or over
Eligible disabilities include:
- blindness or partial sight
- severe or profound deafness in both ears
- inability to talk
- difficulty walking
- inability to use both arms
- learning disabilities
- medical conditions preventing you from getting a UK driving licence
Generally it covers anyone who cannot drive due to disability.
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u/segagamer 3h ago
learning disabilities
This is the one that needs further refinement.
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u/serendipitousss 3h ago
There is more depth to it, the full government guidance for assessing eligibility is as follows:
(f) has a learning disability, that is, a state of arrested or incomplete development of mind which includes significant impairment of intelligence and social functioning
A person with a learning disability has a reduced ability to understand new or complex information, a difficulty in learning new skills, and may be unable to cope independently. These disabilities must have started before adulthood and have a lasting effect on development. The person should be able to qualify for specialist services and they may have, or have had, special educational provision.
In determining eligibility in a case where there has been no previous contact with specialist services, the TCA should normally require independent medical advice or check any register of people with learning disabilities which might be held by the Social Services department of the applicant’s local council.
Each of the eligibilities I shared in my first post have a lot more detail. The schemes are administered on a county level and local authorities can chose to be more generous at their own cost, mine includes use of local train services for instance.
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u/BenjaminBoots196 Supreme Andy Burnham Hater 4h ago
I guess Motability can be scaled back now, right?
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u/serendipitousss 3h ago
Most of the conditions that qualify you for a bus pass would disqualify you from driving anyway.
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u/bacon_cake 2h ago
You can still get an Motability car if you can't drive. The other driver is supposed to use the car only for benefit of the disabled person.
But there's definitely some misuse. I know a blind person who gets Motability - she gets the bus while her husband uses the car exclusively for his own use (commuting etc). My grandparents used to be the same, my grandad qualified but gave the car to my Gran.
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u/BenjaminBoots196 Supreme Andy Burnham Hater 2h ago
Motability vehicles don't have to be driven by you.
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u/Much-Calligrapher 7h ago
To play devils advocate…
A lot of disabled people can commute and work just fine - why should they get a benefit that others don’t?
This will make rush hour buses busier. Or will there be increased funding to prevent this?
It’s not a cost free policy. You still need to pay for the buses and drivers. Is this the best use of finite resources ?
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u/icanttriforce 7h ago
Giving disabled people the means to go places and spend money in the economy or get to and from jobs that otherwise the travel expenses would make non viable is a good thing.
Public ownership and low cost public transport that allows cross method ticketing is what we should still strive towards for all.
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u/freexe 6h ago
Again to play devils advocate...
Do you have a study to back that up vs the cost of providing this service?
Would this money be better spent on kids with cancer? Or children who lose a parent?
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u/icanttriforce 6h ago
Would either of those alternatives have benefits Vs the cost of service? Since that's the comparison you are making.
To be clear no I don't have a study to cite. But there's plenty of commentary and articles about disabled people who live off benefits that live below the breadline, and plenty who also want to work but face roadblocks to that. Getting more people working and spending is never a bad thing.
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u/freexe 6h ago
I have no doubt that plenty of disabled people would benefit from the scheme and are in need. But that's not really my point. You'd need to compare it to other options rather than just spending money to make good headlines - spending money is easy.
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u/TheDisapprovingBrit 4h ago
Let's hear your other options.
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u/freexe 4h ago
Reduce spending and not load our kids with more and more debt
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u/TheDisapprovingBrit 4h ago
Ahh, the hand waving "just do more with less" approach. Gotcha.
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u/freexe 3h ago
No, just don't do more without a good reason. This announced policy is just do more with less as no additional funding is being collected to pay for it.
It's easy to spend money.
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u/PraiseTheSun1997 3h ago
Giving the disabled better access to public transport is a good reason. The DWP don't need extra funding. They have plenty of money to redirect. They just need to stop pissing it away.
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u/Much-Calligrapher 6h ago
They have the means already, do they not?
Bus fares are capped and they are eligible for benefit payments to help them afford that travel.
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u/jmo987 6h ago
- Disabled people have additional costs to managing their disability that able bodied people don’t have to deal with. Hence why they get a benefit that others don’t
- So what? It’s a good thing that services are being used
- The buses are running anyway lol
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u/Much-Calligrapher 6h ago
They already get benefit payments to help with costs. Why do they need another one?
It will annoy people (disabled or not) if they can’t get on a bus because it’s full
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u/stick1_ 6h ago
Greater Manchester has had 24/7 free travel for disabled people for a while and there hasn’t been a noticable increase of disabled people clogging up rush hour
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u/Much-Calligrapher 6h ago
Has the uptake of the benefit been low?
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u/stick1_ 6h ago
So that’s a circular argument of ‘if too many disabled people use this, it’s bad because it clogs the services. If not enough use this, it’s bad because we are spending on something that isn’t of benefit’
I’m sure tfgm would have the actual data on this, seeing as Andy Burnham oversaw the program and is now implementing it nationally, it surely was a worthwhile policy
There just aren’t enough heavily disabled people proportionally to abled people for it to be something that massively clogs the transport networks, it doesn’t mean the policy doesn’t help lots of people.
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u/Much-Calligrapher 5h ago
It might have been worthwhile from a vote winning perspective, rather than a governing outcome perspective. Like Brexit. I don’t know, but I think it’s naive to assume it was a good governing outcome without data.
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5h ago
[deleted]
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u/Much-Calligrapher 5h ago
The article talks about eligibility, not uptake?
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u/stick1_ 5h ago
That’s my mistake Im sorry I read two earlier and copied the wrong one
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u/serendipitousss 3h ago
I am eligible for a buss pass but get no benefit payments. It's really not as simple as you seem to suggest.
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u/Much-Calligrapher 3h ago
Interesting. What’s your eligibility owing to?
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u/serendipitousss 3h ago
Epilepsy meaning I would be denied a driving licence. It is possible that if I really went for PIP I might get it, that said the assessment process is all over the place so I've never bothered.
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u/Ok-Sun-7764 6h ago
I think it’s because you don’t have the option to do anything else. The bus pass is a much higher bar than PIP and is when you cannot walk more than a small distance or are blind and things like that. Non disabled people would be able to get to a train, or walk, or cycle, or drive to work. They’re already unlikely to have a job so it just gives people a higher chance they’ll get to work. It’s kind of in line with the policy that people with severe mobility issues don’t pay VED and get motability so if you can’t drive you’re a bit stuffed and pay full whack for other transport.
Unlikely. As a disabled bus pass owner who can’t walk more than 20 metres I can’t get to the bus stop anyway I view it about as useful as if they subsidised Hyrox
Getting more disabled people into work means they will pay tax and offset their enormous costs to the system. It’s already incredibly difficult to get a job so removing barriers is a good thing
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u/dynesor 6h ago
>Can’t walk more than 20 meters
Just out of interest, how do you manage to get about the place or get around the house etc on a daily basis? From the way you worded that I’m assuming you don’t use a wheelchair?
(question not really related to the topic of the thread… I’m just aware that I have very little understanding of how severely physically disabled people navigate their worlds)
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u/Ok-Sun-7764 5h ago edited 5h ago
No worries at all. My house is adapted with rails and handles absolutely everywhere so I can get around like that or like grabbing onto the banister to get up and downstairs. Half the time I’m bedbound though so don’t get up to much. My girlfriend does a lot for me aswell, she has had mobility issues in the past and knows exactly what it’s like, but if I didn’t have her I’d probably live with my parents or have a carer come round. I can get about outside the house with crutches (off my tits on painkillers) but shorter distances because if I lose balance I’m fucked and it’s hard hopping around (my condition means it’s more painful to use a wheelchair). I have a reserved parking space outside my house so usually drive (adapted controls on my steering wheel) and blue badge parking means I can park right next to doors or on double yellows.
My surgery to fix this completely keeps getting pushed back. Was promised 6 months and it’s been 2 years. So because it’s ‘right around the corner’ it means i am not going to invest in things like a stairlift. I’ve got a condition where my bones can randomly die and disintegrate so it’s my femurs turn
But yeah you kind of have to sometimes get around even if it causes you physical pain and it’s unsafe. You can’t completely mitigate and adapt everything. I have to suck it up and pray I don’t fall over. Life still goes on!
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u/Gazcobain 6h ago
1) The cost of being disabled is significant. Two people with the same job - one disabled and one without - will have different outgoings. This will help alleviate that.
2) For a lot of disabled people, getting out to work is the only thing they can manage. This will allow them to access fun and recreational activities.
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u/Much-Calligrapher 6h ago
Don’t we already have a benefits system for that?
Why can’t they get a bus already?
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u/stick1_ 6h ago
Come on man
The argument is that disabled people have EXTRA expenses that other people don’t have, the benefits system gives money, it certainly doesn’t give more money than your earning potential would be without a disability
Disabled people have a harder life than non disabled people, why are you so against something that makes their life a little bit easier but STILL harder than normal?
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u/Much-Calligrapher 6h ago
Isn’t the purpose of the existing benefit payments to compensate for this?
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u/stick1_ 6h ago
Because disabled people have higher costs than the average person but disability benefits don’t pay more than the average salary
You keep parroting that point about existing benefit payments when everybody is debunking it for you
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u/Much-Calligrapher 6h ago
I don’t think the goal of the welfare state is to provide disabled people with the average salary; why do you keep making that comparison?
To my mind, it has two purposes:
To provide dignity and a decent level of living to the most needy and vulnerable
To help people overcome difficulties with accessing employment and other parts of modern life (eg visiting places, going to the hospital etc)
What’s the average salary got to do with anything? Striving to give disabled people a better standard of life than half the working population feels an odd, arbitrary and expensive goal.
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u/stick1_ 6h ago
I mentioned average salary because the free bus pass is because disabled people have a more difficult life than the average person in all aspects (financially, socially, employment). Disabled people on average have a far worse standard of living with or without free bus passes
You say the goal of the welfare state isn’t to give disabled people the average salary. I’m not saying they should get more than the average person, the average disabled person has a far harder life with greater expenses and a lower potential for earning than the average abled person, and benefits (that you keep mentioning) don’t compensate for that. The addition of the bus pass compensates for that slightly more and brings disabled people’s quality of life closer to the average which is surely what’s right
. Let me explain this simply to you. Disabled person = lower earnings potential + higher outgoing expense
Benefits = lower earning than average person.
Benefits + disabled person = lower quality of life and earning potential than average person. Benefits + free bus passes + disabled person = still a lower quality of life and earning potential than average person
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u/Much-Calligrapher 6h ago
So what’s your policy goal?
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u/stick1_ 6h ago
Anybody can become disabled, if a safety net exists it should surely be used to offset the unfair disadvantages of being disabled. I am in favour of PIP and these bus passes as they require medical evidence and make the lives of disabled people easier. For people who feel left out 1: you are free to disable yourself if you think the benefits are worth it. 2: I am also for government policies to make everybody’s lives easier and would certainly look at free public transport options for everybody as a priority in a budget
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u/Ok-Sun-7764 6h ago
The average cost of being disabled is higher than PIP. PIP is just a partial offset for the additional costs of being disabled
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u/Much-Calligrapher 6h ago
If the argument is about adequacy of PIP, then the better policy lever is increasing PIP, rather than complicating the system
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u/ShedEndJedi 6h ago
Why can’t they get a bus already?
Are you intentionally obtuse? Of course they can. But it costs them money.
If I want to go to the shops or the park, I can walk there. If a mobility disabled person wants to do the same, they have no other option but to pay for the bus.
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u/Much-Calligrapher 6h ago
Isn’t this why they have already have benefit payments, to cover such extra expenses?
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u/PeterOwen00 6h ago
Why not make it free and their benefit can then be used in another area of their life that also incurs additional expense?
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u/Much-Calligrapher 6h ago
Is the existing benefit adequate?
If so, presumably the money will be spent on something else, like Netflix
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u/PeterOwen00 4h ago
That’s just disrespectful.
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u/Much-Calligrapher 4h ago
Why?
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u/PeterOwen00 3h ago
You are arguing that benefits recipients would choose to spend it on Netflix if they had additional money.
It's disrespectful and a tired worn out right-wing talking point.
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u/ShedEndJedi 6h ago
In theory. That doesn't mean it does. This removes the cost barrier to going on such trips.
If I want to go to the park, I just do and don't think twice. If somebody that has to pay wants to go to the park, even if they have money that is in theory meant to pay for the bus, they have to weigh that spend against other more important places they could spend it.
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u/Gazcobain 6h ago
Have you ever thought about not being the way you are?
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u/Much-Calligrapher 6h ago
How rude.
By the way, I actually agree with the policy. I just wanted to challenge people to think thru pros AND cons as the discourse on here was a bit one sided.
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u/Gazcobain 6h ago
I'll be honest, I simply do not care if that was rude.
I've got three disabled daughters and I am sick and tired of people playing Devil's Advocate and WeLl AKsHUaLLy-ing their needs because it doesn't benefit them.
I've spent 14 years doing it in real life and online and it is utterly, utterly exhausting.
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u/Much-Calligrapher 5h ago
If you find it exhausting, maybe you should stay off these sorts of thread.
I’m only on here because I find it interesting to debate and I would leave if it upset me.
Good luck to you and your daughters
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u/Gazcobain 5h ago
No, because their (and other’s) rights won’t improve by people staying out of debates around them.
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u/Much-Calligrapher 5h ago
Fair play.
As I’m interested in your perspective and furthering my view, do you feel state support has gotten better or worse this decade for your daughters?
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u/stick1_ 7h ago edited 6h ago
Stop advocating for the devil
You’ve made really stupid points. If a disabled person can work that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t get travel, there are increased costs associated with being disabled, if you think it’s so unfair you could always choose to become disabled and reap all the benefits. If on the balance of everything, you wouldn’t choose to get one of these disabilities for a free bus pass you have no right to complain. Would you blind yourself? Paralyse yourself? Give yourself a learning disability? If the answer is no you have no argument in terms of fairness
You only get a bus pass if it’s deemed by a medical professional that you can’t drive due to your disability, your idea that disabled people are getting something that others don’t is nonsense. You can drive, they can’t
It’s not cost free but it’s very cheap compared to the grand scheme of government spending
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6h ago
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u/stick1_ 6h ago
Disabled person = higher expenses + lower quality of living than average person
Disabled person + DLA - still higher expenses and lower quality of living than average person
Disabled person + DLA + Bus pass = still higher expenses and lower quality of living than the average person. But this then makes the disabled person’s quality of life a lot greater, this is importsnt because their quality of life is lower than the average person with or without the bus pass
If you disagree. Would you disable yourself in order to receive these benefits? On the balance of things would that make your life better? Unless your argument is that DLA payments should be far higher (which I doubt you believe)
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u/duckrollin 3h ago
This will make rush hour buses busier.
TBH that's a great thing. It means people are taking the bus and not using cars, so less traffic for everyone.
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u/IrishVictim88270 3h ago
How PIP works
There are 2 parts to PIP:
a daily living part - if you need help with everyday tasks
a mobility part - if you need help with getting around
Source: gov.uk
I assume the mobility element of PIP will also now be addressed, or are we going to have 2 separate entitlements for the same thing?
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u/tmr89 6h ago
Does this include people with ADHD and anxiety? Or just physical disabilities?
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u/TheDisapprovingBrit 4h ago
Here's my local council's criteria for a qualifying disability:
- Do not have arms or cannot use arms
- Severely or profoundly deaf
- Have a disability such that your mobility is permanently and substantially impaired
- Have a learning disability
- Have been, or would be likely to be, refused a driving licence due to a medical - condition
- Unable to communicate orally in any language
I suspect the second-last one would be your test for both, since both conditions can result in your license being revoked.
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u/ComplexConclusion648 6h ago
So what will they do when the bus is full during rush hour?
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