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Bus pass plan confuses all

From the archive, first published Thursday 9th Feb 2006.

Pensioners living in Oxford say they are now twice as confused about free bus travel after being given incorrect information about a scheme that starts in six weeks.

From April 1, everyone over 60 will be entitled to free bus travel within the council district in which they live, and, in some cases, across district boundaries.

However, at a pensioners' forum yesterday more than 120 senior citizens were wrongly informed about the project by Oxford city councillor Dan Paskins -- the man responsible for the city's scheme.

He told pensioners at a packed meeting at Oxford Town Hall they would be entitled to free bus travel across district boundaries once the scheme starts. In fact, Oxford pensioners will only be allowed to travel within the city for free -- and only after 9am.

If they want to travel outside the city, they will be charged a full fare.

Mr Paskins, the council's executive member for social inclusion, later returned to the meeting to admit he had got it wrong.

He is now hastily trying to arrange a meeting to see if the city council, the other district councils, Oxfordshire County Council and bus operators can thrash out an eleventh hour solution after OAPs protested about not being able to travel throughout the county free of charge. They want a card entit- ling them to free travel across Oxfordshire, not passes for each district with different conditions of use.

Pensioners' campaigner Bill Jupp, 74, of Arlington Drive, Marston, said: "There's such confusion -- and I feel local authorities are just as confused as anybody. "If I was to take my pass anywhere else in the country and tried to use it I'm sure the driver would tell me to get lost. This all needs to be cleared up soon -- and the only answer is a nationwide free travel scheme for pensioners."

A city council source told the Oxford Mail that blame for confusion over the scheme rested with the Government, for giving the impression travel would be completely free across the country.

Worcestershire, Essex, Sussex and Suffolk have all drawn up county-wide schemes.

Asked whether a totally free scheme could ever be rolled out across Oxfordshire, the source said: "No chance -- it would be an administrative nightmare."

Mr Paskins said: "I got it wrong. I assumed people would be able to travel for free from April 1."

Districts divided over conditions

The scheme will operate as follows in the county's council districts: OXFORD: Over 60s with passes issued by the council can travel free of charge within the city boundaries after 9am on Oxford Bus Company, Stagecoach and Thames Travel buses. They will have to pay full fare for journeys taking them outside Oxford.

VALE OF WHITE HORSE: Pensioners will be able to get a free bus pass valid for use after 9.30am for any journey within the district and into Oxford for connecting buses in the city. The same will apply for travel into Swindon for over 60s who live in Faringdon and the west of the district. Full details will be published soon in newspapers, the Vale News and on the council website. WEST OXFORDSHIRE: From April 1, OAPs' free passes can be used for trips which start or finish within the district, meaning they apply to return journeys into Oxford and for journeys from central Oxford to the city's hospitals. People over 60 in west Oxfordshire will still, however, be able to have travel tokens instead, because parts of the district have few buses. The free bus pass can be exchanged for £31 worth of tokens, which can be used to pay for taxis, buses or trains, or for a Senior Railcard.

CHERWELL: From April 1, pass holders will be able to get free travel on buses where they are currently entitled to half fares, or opt to get travel tokens for taxis, buses or trains instead of the pass. The value of the tokens issued will rise from £19 now to £31 from April.

SOUTH OXFORDSHIRE: Details were not available at the time of going to press.

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