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End the free travel pass? Possible solution?

Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,658 ✭✭✭donutheadhomer


    ok I stand corrected - free travel is in 26 county area


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,797 ✭✭✭Kevin McCloud


    Have they free train too?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,658 ✭✭✭donutheadhomer


    Have they free train too?

    I believe so - limerick to newry is a long distance for whatever shenanigans these pensioners were up to - if we withdrew the free travel scheme they would think twice about paying for train fare from pension


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,797 ✭✭✭Kevin McCloud


    I believe so - limerick to newry is a long distance for whatever shenanigans these pensioners were up to - if we withdrew the free travel scheme they would think twice about paying for train fare from pension

    Long journey for sure, they must have some size of a bladder.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,631 ✭✭✭Aint Eazy Being Cheezy


    How the feck did you manage to link two pensioners who were involved in dissident republicanism to Charlie Haughey giving out free travel passes?


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,658 ✭✭✭donutheadhomer


    Long journey for sure, they must have some size of a bladder.

    Huh


  • Registered Users Posts: 49,731 ✭✭✭✭coolhull


    http://www.limerickpost.ie/2014/11/12/pensioners-arrested-in-cira-probe/

    I blame Charlie Haughey for allowing these auld ones travel wherever for free...

    Would I be right in assuming you don't (yet) have a free travel pass?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,658 ✭✭✭donutheadhomer


    How the feck did you manage to link two pensioners who were involved in dissident republicanism to Charlie Haughey giving out free travel passes?

    See post 4. CAB seizes assets. Maybe curtails their free travel to cut down on this kinda activity


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,180 ✭✭✭hfallada


    But OP you would be restricting them to their house. They need to get out and about etc.

    Personally I think its disgraceful that a students ticket is only 20% off the full adult price for Dublin Bus. Where as a tax saver ticket is over 50% off an adult ticket. Every where else in Europe gives students either free travel on their public transport or gives them 50% off their ticket. In Ireland you end up paying more than an adult on a tax saver ticket. Its ridiculous.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,658 ✭✭✭donutheadhomer


    coolhull wrote: »
    Would I be right in assuming you don't (yet) have a free travel pass?

    Correct. But I'm not in favour of a blanket ban - pardon the pun but just a selective ban. Article says these pensioners were questioned before for similar.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,658 ✭✭✭donutheadhomer


    hfallada wrote: »
    But OP you would be restricting them to their house. They need to get out and about etc.

    Personally I think its disgraceful that a students ticket is only 20% off the full adult price for Dublin Bus. Where as a tax saver ticket is over 50% off an adult ticket. Every where else in Europe gives students either free travel on their public transport or gives them 50% off their ticket. In Ireland you end up paying more than an adult on a tax saver ticket. Its ridiculous.

    I take it you didn't read the article in first post the


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,071 ✭✭✭✭wp_rathead


    It is suspected that some of those arrested were previously involved with provisional republicanism and are being questioned in connection with the activities of the Continuity IRA.

    They should make roads illegal - these scumbags seem to be using them too


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,658 ✭✭✭donutheadhomer


    hfallada wrote: »
    But OP you would be restricting them to their house. They need to get out and about etc.

    Personally I think its disgraceful that a students ticket is only 20% off the full adult price for Dublin Bus. Where as a tax saver ticket is over 50% off an adult ticket. Every where else in Europe gives students either free travel on their public transport or gives them 50% off their ticket. In Ireland you end up paying more than an adult on a tax saver ticket. Its ridiculous.

    Rather restrict this activity further


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,658 ✭✭✭donutheadhomer


    wprathead wrote: »
    They should make roads illegal - these scumbags seem to be using them too

    Only saying it is something worth considering.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 9,396 ✭✭✭Frosty McSnowballs


    Get rid of public transport, that will learn them.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,616 ✭✭✭masculinist


    Free travel extends to the rest of Europe in a lot of cases. I thought the 6 countys too. Irish senior citizens get free travel in Malaga for example. They want to encourage them to spend their pensions there.

    I just thought of a business idea with low start up costs. Senior Citizen couriers :pac:


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,443 ✭✭✭Bipolar Joe


    Just get rid of old people, Logan's Run style.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,133 ✭✭✭FloatingVoter


    Old people vote. Idiots who start these threads on Boards tend to list the cool secondhand reasons why they don't vote. Guess who the politicians give a damn about ?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 44,080 ✭✭✭✭Micky Dolenz


    Coffin dodgers aren't to be trusted. They are cute though and have some smashing stories.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,541 ✭✭✭RobYourBuilder


    I think we should abolish pensions and free travel for pensioners. Then reinstate them during the mid 2050's.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,815 ✭✭✭lulu1


    I think we should send all pensioners to live with you op and you could keep an eye on them. Less worry for us


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,673 ✭✭✭Borders no.2


    Old people vote. Idiots who start these threads on Boards tend to list the cool secondhand reasons why they don't vote. Guess who the politicians give a damn about ?

    Thats the main point in this argument. Pensioners vote and will mobilise quickly to any threat of losing anything.

    However, along with other issues this is one in which some government will have to take a hard stand and make an unpopular decision. Looking forward we need to be realistic. As the number of people of 66 and over increases and with increases in fuel prices and other costs inevitable, the ordinary commuters cannot continue to bear this burden.

    Personally I think free travel should be restricted to within a certain radius (approx 50kms or the distance to your nearest city if more than 50kms away), after that I believe at the very least they should have to pay a nominal amount. Also many people are unaware of the fact that pensioners are able to bring a 'carer' with them for free, when often the person is more than capable of fending for themselves.

    The price of fares is continuing to rocket, when we should be looking to keep them as low as possible and reduce the number of cars on the road.

    Long term, due to the fact there is next to zero long term planning, the country will not be able to be paying the level of pensions it is paying now as there will be almost twice as many people over the age of 66 and they will have to push the retirement age out.

    People over 66 have worked hard all their lives and I wouldn't be advocating any significant cuts but for once in this country someone has to look 20/25 years down the line and recognise that taxpayers will not be able to provide the level of benefits to pensioners that they now get and the government expenditure will have to be reviewed accordingly.

    Of course in reality this won't happen until we start to realise the crisis we are facing when its too late.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,133 ✭✭✭FloatingVoter


    The "carers travel free" pass is related to the disability pass. I have yet to see a bus refusing paying passengers because it was overcrowded with pensioners. Do pensioners occasionally "abuse" th pass and go cross country to Galway for a pint of a Sunday. Yes. Maybe once or twice a year.
    The overpricing on public transport is related to the Irish peoples addiction to car travel. I live in city centre Dublin. Outside my window, 60% of the neighbours have local jobs and a car. They'd be quicker walking to work in some cases. But having a car is part of the dream (along with the mortgage).
    Another reason is pencil-pushers and consultants. Every time you see some pointy head discussing the latest academic survey that shows that buses make more sense than cars, that's an increase in your fare. It takes one person to drive a train. It takes 200 knobheads to study same train and come up with myriad reasons why they should be in their excuse of a job. They'll usually produce statistics, unreadable reports and recommendations for the formation of a committee. All costing money.
    Meanwhile Thomas the train driver and Frank the 'auld lad on the scenic route for his pint are getting on with things and bothering nobody.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,616 ✭✭✭masculinist


    The overpricing on public transport is related to the Irish peoples addiction to car travel.

    Dublin Bus is constantly taking the urine with their above fuel inflation fare increases to support an inefficient company hence my basic 1 litre engined car is still cheaper than Dublin Bus despite being taxed into outer space. One passenger and it blows Dublin Bis out of the water in terms of cost savings. On top of this the time saved and lifestyle enhancements are worth an awful lot more.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 41,104 ✭✭✭✭Annasopra


    Free travel extends to the rest of Europe in a lot of cases. I thought the 6 countys too. Irish senior citizens get free travel in Malaga for example.

    Really?

    It was so much easier to blame it on Them. It was bleakly depressing to think that They were Us. If it was Them, then nothing was anyone's fault. If it was us, what did that make Me? After all, I'm one of Us. I must be. I've certainly never thought of myself as one of Them. No one ever thinks of themselves as one of Them. We're always one of Us. It's Them that do the bad things.

    Terry Pratchet



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 41,104 ✭✭✭✭Annasopra


    Dublin Bus is constantly taking the urine with their above fuel inflation fare increases to support an inefficient company hence my basic 1 litre engined car is still cheaper than Dublin Bus despite being taxed into outer space. One passenger and it blows Dublin Bis out of the water in terms of cost savings. On top of this the time saved and lifestyle enhancements are worth an awful lot more.

    The cost of the car plus the road tax plus the nct plus the insurance plus the petrol works out cheaper?

    It was so much easier to blame it on Them. It was bleakly depressing to think that They were Us. If it was Them, then nothing was anyone's fault. If it was us, what did that make Me? After all, I'm one of Us. I must be. I've certainly never thought of myself as one of Them. No one ever thinks of themselves as one of Them. We're always one of Us. It's Them that do the bad things.

    Terry Pratchet



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,822 ✭✭✭stimpson


    The overpricing on public transport is related to the Irish peoples addiction to car travel. I live in city centre Dublin. Outside my window, 60% of the neighbours have local jobs and a car. They'd be quicker walking to work in some cases. But having a car is part of the dream (along with the mortgage).

    I live in Dublin. 2 minutes walk to my nearest bus stop. It's quicker and cheaper for me to take my car to work. Even when I worked in the City centre it took me half an hour door to door as opposed to the guts of an hour. And my car turns up on time. And there's no scumbags drinking in the back seats. And it's not too hot/too cold. And there isn't the smell of BO coming from the seat beside me.

    There are many reasons people love their cars.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,611 ✭✭✭Valetta


    Nowhere in the article does it mention anything about free travel.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 81,220 ✭✭✭✭biko


    Let the old folks be in the IRA. At least it gets them out of the house.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,616 ✭✭✭masculinist


    Really?

    Many countries especially Mediterranean want to encourage seniors to spend their retirement and pension there. Especially the areas with not much industry of their own. If you add someone to your population who has a pension , its like adding an extra salary to your economy , isnt it especially if they are resident and pay their income taxes there. If you think how much subsidy we gave e.g Dell in Limerick, senior citizen travel produces a lot of benefits per 'wagepacket'. If we keep it , we might encourage more of them to come from the USA and visit the ''mother country'' etc . Seniors have a lot of time on their hands to travel and spend their pensions.


    An elderly relative of mine in Malaga apparently travels for free from the Airport on the train to his Villa.

    A quick Google results in this

    http://www.lovegranada.com/transport/senior-citizen-pass/

    He gets one and hes a millionaire on paper ...with the recession his official income might be devastated and lockedup into his assets [its means tested but from him it doesnt seem to be] but somehow he manages to get a pass for Malaga. They at least have it for their residents. It seems to be reciprocal if you delve deeply enough. Under EU regs, if you offer a benefit to your own citizens you also have to offer it to people who have a right to travel there from other parts of ther EU [or something like that] so it could be a reciprocal arrangement.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,630 ✭✭✭✭mariaalice


    What a bizarre issue to get your knickers in a twist about, it costs buttons, it gets people into towns during the week spending money, the vast majority of Europe countries have some sort of subsidised travel for OAP's


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,248 ✭✭✭✭BoJack Horseman


    mariaalice wrote: »
    it costs buttons,
    €77m per year.
    It gets people into towns during the week spending money,
    Has there been study on any economic net gain?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 11,835 ✭✭✭✭cloud493


    Stop giving them food too, that'll learn them. Imagine not wanting to sit in your house all day on your own, disgraceful.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,616 ✭✭✭masculinist


    The cost of the car plus the road tax plus the nct plus the insurance plus the petrol works out cheaper?

    If we talk Bangernomics then its pretty close.. Lets try add this all up:

    For example: Pick up a reliable old Micra/Japanese car or even a Fiat Punto or Volkswagen Golf [if you know what you are lookin for] with a 1 litre engine for less than a grand with a fresh NCT. Maintenance costs roughly: replace an oil filter for less than a fiver every 10 km but you can still drive the crap out of the Micra regardless. Replace the oil at the same time as the filter for 25 euro but you can be sloppy about this too.
    So thats roughly 30 euro per year for filter and oil
    NCT : 55 euro
    So maintenance : 30 euro per year for Oil change
    Tax : 199 Euro per year
    Insurance: 300 to 350 per year. I got mine for 300.... but 250 the year before and I'm not an old man with years of driving experience by any means.
    Lets see what else can go wrong...
    Vandalism : someone breaks your wing mirror or wiper: let say 30 euro per annum in a scrapyard to replace
    Replace a few bulbs in the headlights: Typically 10 euro per year and many small motor factor shops will do this for you if buy it off them and ask for help.
    Tyres wear out before NCT : You can get them for 25 euro each second hand so thats a 100 euro every 2 years or 50 per year

    In total that comes to:

    1000 up front + per annum[ 30 oil related +199 motor tax +300 insurance + 55 NCT + 30 general maintenance + 10 bulbs + 50 tyres]


    You are looking at a 1000 euro up front cost and a annual cost of 600 in fees and charges which I was not really conservative about in estimating. After that its all plain sailing and a much more enjoyable experience. I know where to park in the city centre for free too. The clamper is everywhere but there are secret locations left for illuminati such as myself where the parking signs and rules do not apply ;)

    In the end you will be able to sell the Micra for at least 500 back. Who knows more , many people are in love with them and they are becoming more collectible as they age. They dont tend to break down. In this economic climate they and a lot of reliable cheap to run cars are actually holding their value and reselling for the same amount.

    Once you invest the capital cost, then each journey is significantly cheaper than public transport plus you get to carry all your crap with you, you dont have to rely on doubling up your journeys, you are always there on time and you are not bound to a timetable. You wont lose your new job by always being late thanks to Dublin Bus. You dont have to walk for 15minutes from a bus stop to your job/school etc. You can use Googlemaps as an example to calculate costs

    Directions :
    Dundrum Town Centre to the Howth Road. Avoiding Tolls, use compact car as an example and inputting the current cost of Fuel as 1.49 euro and you get Est. fuel cost: €1.93 [ and this is calculated in heavy traffic]

    I seem to remember the Dart or Luas for a much shorter journey costing twice that. Bus fares are becoming astronomical too. This is just for one passenger.
    If you add a second passenger then the upfront cost is negated by the day to day cost savings. Whats the cost of a Dart or the Luas ? I seem to remember it being the guts of a fiver per person. In a car each additional passenger anywhere is already absorbed into the up front cost.
    If you have a family e.g a wife and a child then the bus is lunacy, battling in the rain with a buggy. If you have hobbies, sports , the gym interests etc , good luck carrying ten bags on your back everywhere on a bus for the day. Googlemaps suggests 22 minutes by car. Public transport takes an hour and 10 minutes. From my experience of public transport I expect longer. I expect unreliable. I expect traffic diversions due to water protests, fire engines and car crashes etc.

    The alternative to a car for someone on a budget is a motorbike or a bicycle, not public transport. Public transport is too expensive. Too often hypocrites point to successful public transport in Prague , Amsterdam, Budapest etc without pointing out that a large measure of its success is its cost. How Dublin Bus can implement above inflation, especially above fuel inflation increases in ticket prices during a protracted recession when a 100,000 or twice that lose their jobs is beyond me.
    This is not meant to be an exhaustive list of comparisons but it indicates my thinking. E.g weekly bus pass roughly costs 30 times 52= 1560 euro. I remember the cost of Luas and Dart to be worse . In my car version you own an asset and have a good time while competing on cost , especially if you take a passenger with you or have a hobby.


    God I hope this is not too much off topic ...


    edit: you cant compete with public transport if you feel ashamed/paranoid/insecure on account of your number plate year and car model and hence 'need' to spend 10 grand a year on a car but if you are budget conscious then despite being taxed unfairly every which way, you still have a far higher standard of living with a small cheap car.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,658 ✭✭✭donutheadhomer


    If we talk Bangernomics then its pretty close.. Lets try add this all up:

    For example: Pick up a reliable old Micra/Japanese car or even a Fiat Punto or Volkswagen Golf [if you know what you are lookin for] with a 1 litre engine for less than a grand with a fresh NCT. Maintenance costs roughly: replace an oil filter for less than a fiver every 10 km but you can still drive the crap out of the Micra regardless. Replace the oil at the same time as the filter for 25 euro but you can be sloppy about this too.
    So thats roughly 30 euro per year for filter and oil
    NCT : 55 euro
    So maintenance : 30 euro per year for Oil change
    Tax : 199 Euro per year
    Insurance: 300 to 350 per year. I got mine for 300.... but 250 the year before and I'm not an old man with years of driving experience by any means.
    Lets see what else can go wrong...
    Vandalism : someone breaks your wing mirror or wiper: let say 30 euro per annum in a scrapyard to replace
    Replace a few bulbs in the headlights: Typically 10 euro per year and many small motor factor shops will do this for you if buy it off them and ask for help.
    Tyres wear out before NCT : You can get them for 25 euro each second hand so thats a 100 euro every 2 years or 50 per year

    In total that comes to:

    1000 up front + per annum[ 30 oil related +199 motor tax +300 insurance + 55 NCT + 30 general maintenance + 10 bulbs + 50 tyres]


    You are looking at a 1000 euro up front cost and a annual cost of 600 in fees and charges which I was not really conservative about in estimating. After that its all plain sailing and a much more enjoyable experience. I know where to park in the city centre for free too. The clamper is everywhere but there are secret locations left for illuminati such as myself where the parking signs and rules do not apply ;)

    In the end you will be able to sell the Micra for at least 500 back. Who knows more , many people are in love with them and they are becoming more collectible as they age. They dont tend to break down. In this economic climate they and a lot of reliable cheap to run cars are actually holding their value and reselling for the same amount.

    Once you invest the capital cost, then each journey is significantly cheaper than public transport plus you get to carry all your crap with you, you dont have to rely on doubling up your journeys, you are always there on time and you are not bound to a timetable. You wont lose your new job by always being late thanks to Dublin Bus. You dont have to walk for 15minutes from a bus stop to your job/school etc. You can use Googlemaps as an example to calculate costs

    Directions :
    Dundrum Town Centre to the Howth Road. Avoiding Tolls, use compact car as an example and inputting the current cost of Fuel as 1.49 euro and you get Est. fuel cost: €1.93 [ and this is calculated in heavy traffic]

    I seem to remember the Dart or Luas for a much shorter journey costing twice that. Bus fares are becoming astronomical too. This is just for one passenger.
    If you add a second passenger then the upfront cost is negated by the day to day cost savings. Whats the cost of a Dart or the Luas ? I seem to remember it being the guts of a fiver per person. In a car each additional passenger anywhere is already absorbed into the up front cost.
    If you have a family e.g a wife and a child then the bus is lunacy, battling in the rain with a buggy. If you have hobbies, sports , the gym interests etc , good luck carrying ten bags on your back everywhere on a bus for the day. Googlemaps suggests 22 minutes by car. Public transport takes an hour and 10 minutes. From my experience of public transport I expect longer. I expect unreliable. I expect traffic diversions due to water protests, fire engines and car crashes etc.

    The alternative to a car for someone on a budget is a motorbike or a bicycle, not public transport. Public transport is too expensive. Too often hypocrites point to successful public transport in Prague , Amsterdam, Budapest etc without pointing out that a large measure of its success is its cost. How Dublin Bus can implement above inflation, especially above fuel inflation increases in ticket prices during a protracted recession when a 100,000 or twice that lose their jobs is beyond me.
    This is not meant to be an exhaustive list of comparisons but it indicates my thinking. E.g weekly bus pass roughly costs 30 times 52= 1560 euro. I remember the cost of Luas and Dart to be worse . In my car version you own an asset and have a good time while competing on cost , especially if you take a passenger with you or have a hobby.


    God I hope this is not too much off topic ...

    Just a little - my point was to keep the ould ones out of trouble - keep em away from the RA


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,616 ✭✭✭masculinist


    Just a little - my point was to keep the ould ones out of trouble - keep em away from the RA


    Well you did manage to somehow connect most of our harmless and innocent old grannies with the Ra... so ...


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 29,195 ✭✭✭✭end of the road


    Dublin Bus is constantly taking the urine with their above fuel inflation fare increases to support an inefficient company

    above fuel inflation fare increases will happen whether the company is efficient or inefficient. i don't see whats inefficient about them these days anyway. some route frequencies could do with improving and ticket integration needs sorting but its happening (all be it to slowly) . unfortunately people can't see that public transport needs paying for, both some members of the public and government. even if dublin bus was very efficient (and in their deffence they are getting there) fares would still have to be high as the government moves the costs to the passenger rather then paying more subsidy. just be glad the company isn't expected to make a proffit. for as much as them being proffitable would be nice, the fares would have to rise 10 fold.

    I'm very highly educated. I know words, i have the best words, nobody has better words then me.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,133 ✭✭✭FloatingVoter


    stimpson wrote: »
    I live in Dublin. 2 minutes walk to my nearest bus stop. It's quicker and cheaper for me to take my car to work. Even when I worked in the City centre it took me half an hour door to door as opposed to the guts of an hour. And my car turns up on time. And there's no scumbags drinking in the back seats. And it's not too hot/too cold. And there isn't the smell of BO coming from the seat beside me.

    There are many reasons people love their cars.

    You must work amazing hours. I use a bus more or less twice a day seven days a week. The only time I've seen drunken behaviour on the morning run c. 8-9 AM is the Trinity Ball. So if drunken halfwits fumbling their fingers around ballgowns intimidates you, well....consider working from home.
    Besides, you'll be happy to let the old people use the smelly route. As they drive past your girl-magnet car. Another thing I've yet to see in Ireland....someone getting laid because of the car they have a loan on.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,973 ✭✭✭Sh1tbag OToole


    Damn those bleedin' other people getting stuff for free, if its not the bleedin' dole scroungers its the bleedin' junkies pensioners, yaknow? Maon maon maon... are you listening to me Joe?!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,647 ✭✭✭lazybones32


    Let 'em have it. Man old people (and not as old people) are dangerous drivers. Let the bus/trains shuttle them around.


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