bus passes

alyssajade230

Hi, anyone else had experience with applying for freedom passes? I have been told I will probably have to have an assessment but don't know how they are going to assess my mobility/fitness to drive when my conditions are largely hidden. I  know from guidance and evidence I provided that it should be enough but I am worried it will not be good. is it like a pip assessment ? do they usually understand hidden conditions causing pain/fatigue. I am worried. also I have ASD so please be kind

Cartini

alyssajade230 said:

Hi, anyone else had experience with applying for freedom passes? I have been told I will probably have to have an assessment but don't know how they are going to assess my mobility/fitness to drive when my conditions are largely hidden. I  know from guidance and evidence I provided that it should be enough but I am worried it will not be good. is it like a pip assessment ? do they usually understand hidden conditions causing pain/fatigue. I am worried. also I have ASD so please be kind

Hi,

Have you been awarded PIP?

alyssajade230

Cartini said:

alyssajade230 said:

Hi, anyone else had experience with applying for freedom passes? I have been told I will probably have to have an assessment but don't know how they are going to assess my mobility/fitness to drive when my conditions are largely hidden. I  know from guidance and evidence I provided that it should be enough but I am worried it will not be good. is it like a pip assessment ? do they usually understand hidden conditions causing pain/fatigue. I am worried. also I have ASD so please be kind

Hi,

Have you been awarded PIP?

Yes was awarded living component last year but only scored 4 on mobility and my understanding is that 8 is required to automatically qualify without assessment. I have been waiting to put in a COC for my pip until I have more documentation for the ASD side of things as they completely ignored half of my evidence, a lot of which matched up to descriptors when I did apply but thats not important at the moment. I cannot move any distance without pain and risk of me falling due to dislocation or fainting so I am hoping they will properly look at my evidence before assessing

(edited comment for clarity)

Cartini

alyssajade230 said:

Cartini said:

alyssajade230 said:

Hi, anyone else had experience with applying for freedom passes? I have been told I will probably have to have an assessment but don't know how they are going to assess my mobility/fitness to drive when my conditions are largely hidden. I  know from guidance and evidence I provided that it should be enough but I am worried it will not be good. is it like a pip assessment ? do they usually understand hidden conditions causing pain/fatigue. I am worried. also I have ASD so please be kind

Hi,

Have you been awarded PIP?

Yes was awarded living component last year but only scored 4 on mobility and my understanding is that 8 is required to automatically qualify without assessment. I have been waiting to put in a COC for my pip until I have more documentation for the ASD side of things as they completely ignored half of my evidence, a lot of which matched up to descriptors when I did apply but thats not important at the moment. I cannot move any distance without pain and risk of me falling due to dislocation or fainting so I am hoping they will properly look at my evidence before assessing

(edited comment for clarity)

Your opening comment implied that you had PIP, but I just wanted to make sure.  You are correct that you need at least standard mobility to be able to apply for a bus pass.

I`m afraid I can`t comment on the assessment that you / people would have to sit to obtain a bus pass, but I`m sure there will be people on here who could advise you.

I`m not 100% sure, and I`m sure poppy or calcoti will set me right if I`m wrong, but I believe asking for a change of circumstances could initiate another application, and most likely another assessment, for PIP.

Sorry I couldn`t be of any real help.

alyssajade230

Cartini said:

alyssajade230 said:

Cartini said:

alyssajade230 said:

Hi, anyone else had experience with applying for freedom passes? I have been told I will probably have to have an assessment but don't know how they are going to assess my mobility/fitness to drive when my conditions are largely hidden. I  know from guidance and evidence I provided that it should be enough but I am worried it will not be good. is it like a pip assessment ? do they usually understand hidden conditions causing pain/fatigue. I am worried. also I have ASD so please be kind

Hi,

Have you been awarded PIP?

Yes was awarded living component last year but only scored 4 on mobility and my understanding is that 8 is required to automatically qualify without assessment. I have been waiting to put in a COC for my pip until I have more documentation for the ASD side of things as they completely ignored half of my evidence, a lot of which matched up to descriptors when I did apply but thats not important at the moment. I cannot move any distance without pain and risk of me falling due to dislocation or fainting so I am hoping they will properly look at my evidence before assessing

(edited comment for clarity)

Your opening comment implied that you had PIP, but I just wanted to make sure.  You are correct that you need at least standard mobility to be able to apply for a bus pass.

I`m afraid I can`t comment on the assessment that you / people would have to sit to obtain a bus pass, but I`m sure there will be people on here who could advise you.

I`m not 100% sure, and I`m sure poppy or calcoti will set me right if I`m wrong, but I believe asking for a change of circumstances could initiate another application, and most likely another assessment, for PIP.

Sorry I couldn`t be of any real help.

I think it is similar to applying for a blue badge; can be done for mobility either with or without Pip but is much easier to do if you have Pip. I am worried about putting in for a COC to try and get the points I am entitled to and ending up losing the whole thing as they review the whole award and I wouldn't be able to deal with the stress of trying to do MR or tribunal to get it back at least as I am currently spending a lot of my pip on travel as I frequently have to get on buses just to go one stop because I can't walk it so its costing me a fortune every month. thank you for your help though

anawilliam850

I think is better that you can talk with a social worker, she can guide you better that the internet, because she has to know how to apply for this things

Penybont

The changed the rules to get bus pass they only added the 8 point mobility requirement last year.  Which means I lost my disabled bus pass even though I got arthritis.

alyssajade230

just to update I know was a long time ago but they ended up awarding me the bus pass after assessment and I now have it until 2028 thank you all for taking the spoons to reply before

Alex_Alumni

Fantastic news @alyssajade230 thanks for the update I'm sure that'll be a real boost to your independence! 

2oldcodgers

Penybont said:

The changed the rules to get bus pass they only added the 8 point mobility requirement last year.  Which means I lost my disabled bus pass even though I got arthritis.

Can't understand that. Seems that they are tightening up much the same as for a Blue Badge.
Yet we hold a bus pass automatically which was given to us when we were 60. I very rarely use the bus so regularly get letters from the council every couple of years saying that they have withdrawn them for both of us through lack of use. This is something that the Council are seemingly doing on a regular basis. Factually they cannot do this as a bus pass for those over 60 is a right.
It's also a warning for everyone that has a bus pass, seems that councils are watching for those that are not being used.

alyssajade230

2oldcodgers said:

Penybont said:

The changed the rules to get bus pass they only added the 8 point mobility requirement last year.  Which means I lost my disabled bus pass even though I got arthritis.

Can't understand that. Seems that they are tightening up much the same as for a Blue Badge.
Yet we hold a bus pass automatically which was given to us when we were 60. I very rarely use the bus so regularly get letters from the council every couple of years saying that they have withdrawn them for both of us through lack of use. This is something that the Council are seemingly doing on a regular basis. Factually they cannot do this as a bus pass for those over 60 is a right.
It's also a warning for everyone that has a bus pass, seems that councils are watching for those that are not being used.

I don't think you need 8 points on mobility in order to get it. I only scored 4 when I applied for my PIP so I get no mobility award, they still do mobility assessments at most councils if you're applying under mobility impairment but don't get the required pip points as this is what I  had to do they had me do a bunch of different movements and read over my medical documents and spoke with me about it and then part of assessment was the assessor watching how I walked and asking if I had pain and where etc. My grandparents also have the over 60s freedompass and rarely use it (maybe up to 5 trips a year) but they have never had any letters come through or had it withdrawn I didnt know they could do that is it allowed even

Penybont

2oldcodgers said:

Penybont said:

The changed the rules to get bus pass they only added the 8 point mobility requirement last year.  Which means I lost my disabled bus pass even though I got arthritis.

Can't understand that. Seems that they are tightening up much the same as for a Blue Badge.
Yet we hold a bus pass automatically which was given to us when we were 60. I very rarely use the bus so regularly get letters from the council every couple of years saying that they have withdrawn them for both of us through lack of use. This is something that the Council are seemingly doing on a regular basis. Factually they cannot do this as a bus pass for those over 60 is a right.
It's also a warning for everyone that has a bus pass, seems that councils are watching for those that are not being used.

I was using mine 2 or 3 days a week  at the time they removed my pass. I volunteer in a charity shop, but now the charity shop pays my bus ticket which is £20-25 a week. Thanks to scumbags at bridgend council.

2oldcodgers

alyssajade230 said:

2oldcodgers said:

Penybont said:

The changed the rules to get bus pass they only added the 8 point mobility requirement last year.  Which means I lost my disabled bus pass even though I got arthritis.

Can't understand that. Seems that they are tightening up much the same as for a Blue Badge.
Yet we hold a bus pass automatically which was given to us when we were 60. I very rarely use the bus so regularly get letters from the council every couple of years saying that they have withdrawn them for both of us through lack of use. This is something that the Council are seemingly doing on a regular basis. Factually they cannot do this as a bus pass for those over 60 is a right.
It's also a warning for everyone that has a bus pass, seems that councils are watching for those that are not being used.

I don't think you need 8 points on mobility in order to get it. I only scored 4 when I applied for my PIP so I get no mobility award, they still do mobility assessments at most councils if you're applying under mobility impairment but don't get the required pip points as this is what I  had to do they had me do a bunch of different movements and read over my medical documents and spoke with me about it and then part of assessment was the assessor watching how I walked and asking if I had pain and where etc. My grandparents also have the over 60s freedompass and rarely use it (maybe up to 5 trips a year) but they have never had any letters come through or had it withdrawn I didnt know they could do that is it allowed even

It's not allowed but some councils seem to be getting away with their actions. Maybe it's a money thing. Even if you don't use it the council still has to pay the bus companies.

poppy123456

2oldcodgers said:

alyssajade230 said:

2oldcodgers said:

Penybont said:

The changed the rules to get bus pass they only added the 8 point mobility requirement last year.  Which means I lost my disabled bus pass even though I got arthritis.

Can't understand that. Seems that they are tightening up much the same as for a Blue Badge.
Yet we hold a bus pass automatically which was given to us when we were 60. I very rarely use the bus so regularly get letters from the council every couple of years saying that they have withdrawn them for both of us through lack of use. This is something that the Council are seemingly doing on a regular basis. Factually they cannot do this as a bus pass for those over 60 is a right.
It's also a warning for everyone that has a bus pass, seems that councils are watching for those that are not being used.

I don't think you need 8 points on mobility in order to get it. I only scored 4 when I applied for my PIP so I get no mobility award, they still do mobility assessments at most councils if you're applying under mobility impairment but don't get the required pip points as this is what I  had to do they had me do a bunch of different movements and read over my medical documents and spoke with me about it and then part of assessment was the assessor watching how I walked and asking if I had pain and where etc. My grandparents also have the over 60s freedompass and rarely use it (maybe up to 5 trips a year) but they have never had any letters come through or had it withdrawn I didnt know they could do that is it allowed even

It's not allowed but some councils seem to be getting away with their actions. Maybe it's a money thing. Even if you don't use it the council still has to pay the bus companies.

What isn't allowed? My daughter had a bus pass for a couple of years with the ability to take a companion with her free of charge. She only used it a couple of times but it was never taken off her. It expired and we never reapplied. Just because yours was taken away this doesn't mean other LA's do the same.

2oldcodgers

poppy123456 said:

What isn't allowed? My daughter had a bus pass for a couple of years with the ability to take a companion with her free of charge. She only used it a couple of times but it was never taken off her. It expired and we never reapplied. Just because yours was taken away this doesn't mean other LA's do the same.

Councils are not supposed to cancel a bus pass on the basis that the recipient is not using it!
Your daughter used her pass so of course it would not be taken away.
It's a 'use it or lose it' with some councils - totally wrong.