OK, I locked it so I can explain how concessionary travel works in the uk
So:
In the ENCTS - English National Concessionary Travel Scheme - we pay a proportion of the revenue lost
if the [current] scheme hadn't existed. The basis of reimbursing the revenue is laid down in the Concessionary Travel element of the Transport Act 1985, 2000 and Concessionary Travel Act 2007 that:
a transport operator [be] no better nor no worse off than if the scheme hadn't have existed.
Previous to the scheme being in existance, there was a half-fare scheme in existance. Because that scheme was half-fare, for a £2 fare, a bus would take £1. However, because that scheme exists, we pay a proportion of the fare. How is this calculated?
We initially negotiate with Transport Operators, but I'll come to that in a minute.
We have something called an
Average Fare - calculated on the average fare per route based on the typical fare paid, the number traveling etc. We can use the RAT - Reimbursement Analysis Tool - to calculate the average fare. This is available
here.
So - having the average fare gives us a basis for negotiations. Why negotiate? Travel Concession Authorities (TCAs) who are about to hand over a couple of million a year, sometimes more, to a set of transport operators, you want to get a good deal.
Journeys, as previously mentioned, are calculated per route. But Routes have different categories - Urban, Inter-Urban, Rural, Urban-Rural, Specialist... varying on the area they cover based on the number of inhabitants.
Using these, we pay a percentage of that £1 of the half fare
if the scheme hadn't existed to the transport operator.
But - hang on - what about if the off-peak first bus gets too full?
We have to pay what is called an "additional capacity claim" - where the bus is so full the operator needs to put on a bigger bus - and that cost of a bigger bus means that the local authority must pay for that bus. It can mean big bucks if you've not got your scheme right.
OK - what about the scheme itself? It's statutory is 09:30 to 23:00 M-F, All Sat and Sun, Bank Holidays. But some TCAs provide outside of that. Does this cost more? Yes, it does. Does it cost a lot more? In the grand scheme of it - no, it doesn't - perhaps even less than 1% in some cases. There are other elements - like on the disabled persons pass the "Companion Pass" element, where some disabled people who cannot travel alone can have a companion travel for free.
So - thats the scheme. Want to know my opinion? People using the bus means that they're going places like hospital appointments, usually not in a taxi at NHS expense like it was the case in 2003, or they're going out, which means they're not in their drs cloggin up the place, or they're going shopping on the bus instead of driving and causing congestion... and bus operators have buses earning money, not empty because fewer people are travelling.
Is it right that older persons should travel free...? probably not for some of the richer people... but disabled people, for whom the motability money covers very little of the travel costs you normally - is it right the scheme is taken from them? If you asked me "is it right they should pay nothing" I would like to point out that this scheme means that more disabled people go out instead of staying in their homes as recluses - documented fact. Ask me now - is it worth the price we pay as UK tax payers to ensure that more disabled and older persons have a better quality of life, as well as supporting employment for bus drivers? I personally don't mind. I think the scheme has done more than people give it credit for.
What's all of this worth? I dunno, but I suggest before you try to take apart half of my reply, please bear in mind my vested interests, as a pass holder and someone who has an indepth knowledge of the schemes.
The original person, in the post? Who wants free train travel? Pushing his luck a lot. TfL Freedom scheme costs a lot per year... stupid amounts... is it feasable? Not really. Sorry dude.