Are UK youth parliament correct that free bus travel for elderly may be cancelled and given to students instea?

I would be interested to hear David Cameron come clean on this. Will a vote for them at election mean cut backs in this sort of cost or not. and do the Conservatives really support spending more on the young and less on the old or not? Tell us Mr Cameron!

The Youth Parliament to me seemed honest and a more dignified mob than the MPs who normally sit in the Commons. They are up front and at least they do not fiddle their expenses or get paid huge salaries at taxpayers expense, but I do think they got this wrong so did their yahoo representative Timbo.

The point is OAPs have always had free travel where I live around their own town or city, whether Conservatives or Labour or Liberals have been in power on the basis that they have been paying all their lives, so when they finally retire after many years at work paying taxes it is just payback time.There is nothing new about that..

What is new is to allow them to use their bus passes nationwide rather than just in their own area, but it seems the government has not funded this change satisfactorally and that is causing problems which have got exaggerated by the credit crunch. But that does not alter the fact that pensioners are just being paid back for what they have put into the system all their working life and it would be grossly unfair to punish OAPs because Gordon Brown's arithmetic was wrong..

That is not so with children or students who pay nothing into the economy and are a burden on the taxpayer and council tax payer until they have completed their education and entered the world of work. Moreover it is true that a high proprtion of youngsters today are obese, as a direct result of laziness and lack of exercise, so it would be totally wrong to encourage them at taxpayers expense to take the bus rather than using their legs to walk down to the corner shop to buy their cigarettes. Many old people I know well are fit enough to walk distances of several miles daily rather than use the bus and the exercise is good for them too and they enjoy it, but some are less agile. But that is not a just reason to withdraw the privilege they have all earnt and what the more lazy youngsters have never earned.

Pity this question was not put in politics catagory. I watched this debate on Parliament Channel and think you have not given a fair representation of what was said. Several of the youngsters who spoke clearly said the old deserved their free bus passes and their own age group did not. And the lady who did the wind up speech clearly stated that oaps should continue to have free bus passes as well as young people. It was also pointed out that some Local authorities do currently give both oaps and children/students free bus travel such as in Ulster, some do not.

Also I do not think the Conservatives have actually said if they win the next UK General Election they will scrap free bus passes for OAPs. The controversy seems to be that some Local Authorities claim they are not being properly funded by Gordon Brown's government and it is costing the bus companies and in some cases Council Tax payers too much.

Timbo, you are being unfair. Many old people need to stay in work because they can not afford to live and support their dependents on the state pension and it is not them that are stopping people like you getting a job. If you worked on improving your spelling you might be better qualified to get a job, the fact you do not and want free rides on buses rather than taking exercise certainly suggests you are the one whom is "lazy" and sellfish, while people over 70 like the questioner who carry on working are clearly not lazy!

But this an interesting debate. I think it comes back to the basic fact the government is now so heavily in debt that cut backs have got to be made somewhere whoever wins the next election.

I personally believe only oaps and young people who are genuinely hard up should get free travel, not the whole lot. OAPs like Fred the shred should definitely have to pay the full fare? And perhaps oaps who are still working should not, but those whose only income is state pension should? At the end of the day it is the rest of the working population that has to pay the cost of your free travel by higher taxes and Council Tax when they are already hard up.

But I really would like to hear the views of Conservative and Labour politicians on all this, not just the views of the youth parliament.

I am a UK pensioner and much appreciate the bus pass to get around locally. It saves using a car to drive into a busy congested city and cuts vehicle emissions. Unlike some, I don't exploit it and don't use it to galavant all over the country.

A problem with many pensioners is they become old.. rather obvious.. and less active and able, their eyesight dims etc and there comes a point where they shouldn't drive a car. We've all seen some doddery old fool who shouldn't be on the road. I may become one one day [OMG] and then my bus pass will be essential to get out the house and get around. One of the few perks we get on retirement.. but increasingly important as you age.

I also couldn't afford bus fares when I was a student at university.. so nothing new about hard up students. So I rode a bicycle, which also kept me fit. That also kept down the CO2 levels.

The trouble when you are young or middle aged is that being a pensioner seems a long way off and it is easy to ignore them. Remember you'll be a pensioner one day, and judging by what they say about pension funds and pensions in the future, you may be glad of every bit of help you get and need this yourself.

As you can also see by Health Service problems, some people are too quick to write off the eldery... remember it may be your Mum /Dad or Gran who suffers. I don't feel any different inside than when I was a teenager myself.. and it makes my blood boil still when I see how some old people are treated. Fortunately I'm not old yet ... just a pensioner for nine years.

For those who argue about CO2, pollution etc, remember the most overlooked fact in all this environmental crisis is PEOPLE, particularly western people with all their cars, TV and other electricals. The easiest way to reduce the problem is to reduce population. Far more effective than low energy light bulbs etc. The problem is that it is such a political hot potato that it could destroy any political party putting this as a policy. Also the modern western state relies on the upcoming generation's taxes to support the previous one, and where would politicians and the economy be then? Yet we pay thousands of pounds supporting these families who breed disproportionately with 7-8 children, teenage girls who have a baby to get state support etc Something to think about!

An interesting question. I've heard that free bus passes for pensioners may be phased out, but not that they might be replaced by students.

The demographics would be interesting. Which group are in the majority and so likely to cost more? which group are likely to make the most frequent journeys? Are students more likely to overcrowd transport at busy times? Are we talking about say, students aged under 21 or students of all ages - in which case there is likely to be a stampede of pensioners signing up for various courses in order to maintain their free travel LOL

Would it be an election issue? Maybe, but party manifestos are notorious for being ignored once a party is in power. Is it likely to get more young people voting? Well yes, if you're talking about politically aware students, but I can imagine that 'disenfranchised' youth wouldn't be making tracks to the polling stations because of it, they would see it as just another way of them being marginalised from society.

I do believe that were students to be given free transport there should be some undertaking that thy would remain in this country for a set number of years in order to 'pay back' but I can't ever see that happening.

Not all Senior Citizens are fortunate enough to have plenty of money, many are merely surviving on their meagre pensions. As for taking cars off the road, if students can afford to run cars then surely they can afford bus fares. This is, of course, assuming that ALL Students, like ALL Pensioners, have plenty of money. If it became an election issue I feel the "Grey Vote" will be the strongest turnout.

If the conservatives get in old working class people will be targeted in the same way as New Labour targeted pensions. The attack on pensions has caused untold misery.

The Conservatives will introduce a room tax which will be applied to increase revenue and kick older people out of their homes to downsize into smaller homes.

The conservatives will remove the bus pass from the old and make them pay for their kids to go to university, thereby keeping the older generation tied down in their homes.

The conservatives think that they will win unanimously and intend to fetch back fox hunting totally against the will of the British people.

Think before you vote for an idiot like Cameron..

ATB Red

No, it's a Labour dirty tricks rumour. Us seniors in London have seen this time and time again whenever Labour think they are going to lose control. "If the Conservatives win you will lose your free travel" is their rant.

Well Red Labour Ken Livingston your never gave war pensioners from any where in the UK free travel in London, did you, you were too busy slobbering after the Country's enemies.

Well done Boris Johnson, our new Mayor, you have demonstrated how patriotic you are by giving UK war pensioners free travel in London. It's a pity that the regional authorities and British Rail didn't follow suit nationally.

It's an horrendous idea. OAP's are less likely to be able to get about or even drive a car. The whole thing is typical of the Westminster Village where there is an abundance of transport. Young people are more able to walk or take alternative transport, and rightly so.

Contrary to my previous diatribe regarding seniors on buses - which was somewhat true based on my experiences and thoughts - I yield my seat to seniors and nursing mothers. I'm not totally clean, however, as I feel yielding my seat to a senior keeps them out of my way so I can get off. The whole situation is something I accept b/c I'm going to be old someday and there will be times when I am a clog in the plumbing myself. Plus most seniors have paid thier life dues, and need to be shown a reasonable level of respect. I can listen to your life story only three times maximum.

It should be remembered that the majority of old people where once students themselves and remember we all had the energy to cycle or whatever in those days. Also most of us have paid contributions etc. during our working life and a bus pass goes only a little way to assisting a little on a meagre State Pension.