Free bus travel vital to over 60s remaining active

Julian Glover recently made an attack on the granting of free bus passes for the over 60s which, he said has: "turned pensioners into a burden it almost makes sense for operators not to carry."

However, a more far-sighted view is that free bus passes liberate a generation of pensioners who are the most dynamic and active ever. Free travel enables them to get out there and continue to play an active part in society.

As opposed to, as Mr Glover said, being allowed "to roam all over the country for nothing" older people over 60 mostly travel to the shops, visit friends or take part in community activities. It can only benefit the community if they continue to play a positive role in the community and local communities can only gain when pensioners are economically active in town shopping centres and participate in valuable community voluntary work too. Free bus travel for the over 60s also benefits the environment in reducing car usage.

Primarily however, it helps prevent the poorest pensioners from isolation in their homes which would only otherwise impact on their well being and thus add to the financial burden on social care in the community.

In fact free bus travel actually saves the NHS money and resources in the long term view.

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