Fury over bus-pass threat to pensioners

Oldham Council meeeting
THE threat to the free off-peak bus pass for pensioners by means-testing sparked heated opposition at Oldham Council.

Described as a lifeline for older passengers, Councillor Steven Bashforth highlighted the 44 million miles of journeys travelled each year by bus-pass users in Greater Manchester.

Means-testing would stigmatise the bus service and the cost of administering it would cancel out any savings made., he claimed

Urging people to support his call for the council to write a letter of protest to the chairman of Transport for Greater Manchester Committee, he said: “Let’s see if we can get the Government to change its mind.”

The action gained unanimous support.

Bus-pass holder Councillor John McCann said the scheme was self-regulating and mainly benefited “the average person, the elderly and the less well-off”.


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