Great Western Coffee Shop

From the BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/8590611.stm):

These kickstart schemes have been very good in wales  most routes which have now had new buses and an increase in frequency have had a large increase in passengers.

Lets hope that sucess carries on down in cornwall

Not fogetting that in Wales the funding for Concessionary Fares is significantly higher than in England... Also Wales are continuing to offer free travel at age 60, against England where the qualfying age is rising to 65 to save money.

I still don't understand why you would offer free bus passes to people 5 years below the state retirement age.

I supose it is for the 60 to 65 yo who have retired.  It isn't valid in the morning peak so can't be used by 60 yo who are commuting.

But in my view it is a stupid scheme anyway that should be scrapped along with all those other New Labour gimmicks that we can't afford.  If certain groups in our society are sufficiently poor that they can't afford bus fares or TV licences or childcare or a bike for work or healthy food or winter heating or whatever, then why not just raise the income tax thresholds and let people keep more of their own money and decide for themselves what they want to spend it on.  All these schemes are based on the suposition that the Government knows better than the individual as to how the individual should spend their own money.  They are not even  especially redistributive (why should my Dad get winter fuel allowance, and a free TV licence when his income is higher than mine?  His tax-bill is also higher than me so he is paying for these perks himself anyway which makes them even more perverse.)

And what of those of retirement age who are no longer paying income tax and have been unable to save for their retirement? We've seen many folks robbed of a decent private pension by poor investment choices made by their previous employments' pension scheme.

Many folks reaching retirement age now, or in the near future, have very little disposable income because of financial circumstamces not wholly of their own making. The 'perks' that are attached to a state pension - bus passes, free prescritions, winter fuel allowance and so on - make life just that little bit easier in the autumn years.

I agree that it is a little perverse that anyone who reaches the qualifying age can get a free bus pass or winter fuel allowance and there may be an arguement for means-testing - but that carries it's own issues.

But it seems especially perverse to offer it before the State Retirement Age. I know several colleagues and ex colleagues, who are in jobs with very substantial salaries, who qualify, have, and use a free bus pass.

Like I said, a bit perverse. Those same colleagues can have a Senior Railcard (okay there is a small outlay) and it's quite possible in this day and age for a 60 year old to have children (or be guardians of) and therefore qualify for child benefit which again takes no account of income.

Who said the tax and benefit systems were ever fair or even logical?  ;)

You can in Cornwall.

The current state retirement age for women UK is 60.  I'm sure there would be complaints if women could get passes at 60 but men had to wait until 65.  The retirement age for women will soon be increasing though so it won't be an issue.

Indeed. Very soon, for it starts next Friday, when one month is added to the state retirement age for women, with another month being added for each month after that. So for those just under 55 today, they will have 10 years to wait, instead of  5 under the current system.

So what does this money offer ... So far the Council have one press release affecting services from St Austell to Bodmin, and to Truro increasing the frequency of both exisiting services. Nothing new has been announced yet

www.cornwall.gov.uk (http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=23543)