Should free travel pass holders be encouraged to use public transport to stay warm?

Atlantic Dawn

With the cost of heating a home being so high should those with free travel passes be encouraged to use public transport to stay warm? They could spend the day going from route to route in a warm environment costing themselves nothing and they could use the savings to buy food. Makes no sense for someone to sit in their home paying x amount of money when they could do it for free with what the state has provided them with.

Sky News featured a lad doing the same....

https://news.sky.com/video/fuel-poverty-i-ride-the-bus-to-stay-warm-12579822

goldenmick

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058239899/should-free-travel-pass-holders-be-encouraged-to-use-public-transport-to-stay-warm

The people who really need to keep warm are the elderly and those with debilitating conditions, not some lad you've read about on Sky News.

Do you really think folk want to be aimlessly drifting about all day on buses, with the increased risk of getting Covid by being sat in an enclosed space for endless hours with dozens of people, and perpetually bored with aimlessly staring out of a window.

There a hundred and one safer and better ways to keep warm than that daft idea.

Atlantic Dawn

But what other ideas are free?

goldenmick

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118869013#Comment_118869013

Try Googling "ways to keep warm". There are hundreds of tips and suggestions.

Most elderly have family they can visit or have some sort of support. There are also Government schemes, discounts and grants available. No truly needy person is going to be left to simply freeze to death due to financial constraints.

The bottom line is that everyone will have to suffer to some degree or other because of the huge hike in power costs. The good news is that some news reports say that energy prices should revert back to normal levels some time next year.

You have to remember, a generation ago there was no such thing as central heating... or double glazing... or decent insulation. You had a coal fire, and if you ran out of coal then you'd just put on extra layers until your next coal delivery. There was no public outcry then.

There are millions of people being injured, killed and displaced in wars throughout the world at present. Kind of puts keeping extra cosy into perspective I think.

Strumms

makes no sense to be preventing people from getting from A-B in a timely and safe fashion.

get a couple of these…

https://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/3909342/Trail/searchtext%3EHEATER.htm

won’t break the bank. And energy efficient.

Mrs OBumble

The feckers don't need any encouragement.

And the ones who get travel-sick hang out all day in the library.

Living Off The Splash

I think you will see most public libraries packed to the gills next winter.

Quantum Erasure

reports say that energy prices should revert back to normal levels some time next year

Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it...

magicbastarder

it's about €1000 a week to go on a cruise, and it's about €1000 a week to stay in a nursing home. we should just send old people on cruises instead of putting them in nursing homes. they can sit by the pool and drink free pina coladas instead of staring out the window at a damp field near moate.

macvin

Don't believe the rhetoric of sinn fein. They do eff all for those suffering most up here in northern Ireland.

People look down south with envy when they compare support packages.

There's no one choosing between food and heat in the south, unlike here in NI where a tank of fuel would be more than jobseekeers allowance and sinn fein who control many councils have done absolutely nothing to change things.

Pity they don't come up with the same ideas they bleat about down south!

Mad_maxx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118869013#Comment_118869013

The state pension here is very generous, more than enough to absorb energy price hikes.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118869288#Comment_118869288

The non-contributary state pension is generous. The contributary seeing how its almost the same as the non-contributary pension is a joke. All the lifetime dolers at pension age get the same as somebody who has worked their butt off, even in quite modest but hard jibs

Capt'n Midnight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118869027#Comment_118869027

No more efficient than the first oil filled electric radiators.

Heat pumps are way more efficient.

Even then it can be more efficient to heat the person than the whole room.

Fan heaters are better as quicker and you can direct the heat at the person. Infrared heaters are similar but only heat one side of you.

Electric blankets and such use way less power than any of the above. Aldi had a rake of things like that for €40 a while back.

The only way that oil heater becomes very efficient is if you sit on with a blanket covering you both.

Varik

Sky News presenter a day or so ago talking with some UK minister about the elderly/disabled not being able to charge their wheelchairs and being stuck at home.

They either make **** up or find a single example and portray it as the norm to push a few clicks.

Capt'n Midnight

If only there was a free place people could to keep warm and relatively quiet and with something to read.

Like a library.

Or join a queue in a tax office.

We still have covid so maybe stay at home.

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118869224#Comment_118869224

If you’ve ever been on a cruise the Pina Colladas are not free ;)… not even if you get caught in the rain.they could buy the exclusive drinks package to help, but could they afford the exclusive medicine package too ?

just build sea going nursing ships….probably need to charge them 3000 a week for the range of medical equipment and as doctors and carers cost more then barmen and concierges…

from Howth to Honolulu sounds nice.

Mad_maxx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118869471#Comment_118869471

Both are generous

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118869513#Comment_118869513

Tax offices are closed to facilitate staff WFH.

Capt'n Midnight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118869471#Comment_118869471

Like any sail a jib should be flexible.

macvin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118869498#Comment_118869498

Even if someone just says it, the lefty politicians will use it. Sinn fein are a classic example where they use soundbites knowing it is bullsh1t.

Their answer when I questioned them once was "who are we to question what someone says to us" laughable.

But they play a different tune up here in northern Ireland. The soundbites don't seem to be said up here where fuel poverty is very real and those in power don't give a damn

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118869496#Comment_118869496

I shouldn't laugh but just trying visualise sitting on an oil filled radiator whilst covering yourself with a blanket 😅

But on the Heat pump point, there's no doubting their efficency but in fairness, I'd wager the vast majority of those with a free travel pass , require substantial and costly retro fitting to bring their properties up to a standard were a Heat Pump will actual benefit them. I'm told only the best insulated homes are required for a Heat pump system to work efficiently (I'm specially referring to air to heat) but presume the same applies to ground, heat source pumps 🤔

Fair enough there is talk of serious grants being offered but we then get onto the next hurdle, Electricity costs which are rising at an alarming level. Some will say its temporary, I'm very doubtful they are. In the near 21 years I'm with Electric Ireland, I can not recall a price decrease. Admittedly I'm a low usage customer and switching doesn't make sense, I've checked numerous times . I repeatedly may more on levies , Vat and the dreaded Rural Standing charge with is higher than Urban standing charge.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058239899/should-free-travel-pass-holders-be-encouraged-to-use-public-transport-to-stay-warm

Given the potential food shortages on the horizon, perhaps it is a good time for this kind of eh, modest proposal.