Thread: Free travel for Veterans in London - well done Boris!

Agreed Pete268, I get a War Pension and have never been offered or told about any discounts.

Personally I think ALL services and ex services should get discounts on a variety of things in the same way that the USA gives theirs.

Explain to me how, when visiting the states, I could get a discount of anything between 5% and 40% in places as diverse as Busch Gardens to Walmart just by showing an RBL membership card whilst over here I can't get anything.

Personally I believe that anyone who has risked life or limb for the state (to include us, fire (spit, double wage grabbing shirkers), police, ambulance and Coast Guard) should be offered discounts. Not because we're special, just because it takes us one step closer to the "Starship Troopers" method of voting ;)

If you ever want to see this put into practice in a way that in one way makes you feel proud and in another (particularly British way) makes you embarressed, go to Sea World (owned by Busch) or Busch Gardens. They unashamedly mention and ask for US or British serving or ex serving to identify themselves and then treat you brilliantly.

The Yanks don't seem embarrassed to do it and it's about time that a Brit politician (I have always thought Boris was the dogs nuts anyway) is begining to do the same.

Personally I would never claim a discount from a State run organisation, purely because I don't need to at this moment in time and I'd feel bad that I may be taking money from those other ex service personell that do. It would just be nice to know that "service means citizenship". Oops, I meant that service is recognised (by the current Junta) outside of one gobernment sponsered day per year.

Excellent scheme. How long will it be before the Livingstones, Harmans and Toynbees demand similar schemes for their downtrodden victim groups of choice in the name of equality and diversity?

I reckon that if I write enough in the way of outraged letters to the Grauniad I'll be in receipt of a free bus pass by next year; well, I am prone to gout and falling over occasionally and that makes me disadvantaged (differently advantaged?).

You can find the story here:

http://www.london.gov.uk/

I thought the forces railcard was only for regular serving forces.

Originally Posted by destroyer

I thought the forces railcard was only for regular serving forces.

Who is eligible for a Forces Railcard? - The following are eligible to be issued with a Forces Railcard:

All members of the Regular forces (including university, medical and dental cadets) wherever they are stationed; members of the Reserve Forces undertaking a period of Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS); HM Reserve Forces personnel who are called out for a period of permanent service of at least three months on broadly the same terms and conditions of service as Regular forces; NATO personnel serving in official NATO UK appointments or in other NATO posts based within the UK; Members of other government defence forces serving in official exchange appointments.
Spouses of all personnel who are in Marital Category 1
Dependent children including:
Unmarried children over the age of 16 years and under the age of 18 years who are normally resident in the household.
Sons or Daughters in certain circumstances over the age of 18 years old (in full-time education, medically dependent, or for compassionate reasons)

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAn...el/DG_10036290

War Widows Railcard under 60

War Widows Railcard over 60

Its not like the bloody rail cards are free is it? £15 to the regular forces was the last price I heard. Good old MOD always ripping its lads off.

Originally Posted by Recce19

Well I wait with baited breath for the invite A very good scheme, but I fear MoD will fcuck it up.

Well unbait your breath http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/faresandtickets/9940.aspx

How to apply
If you are under 60 and live in London, or are any age and live in the areas just outside London where TfL services operate:
You will automatically be sent an application pack so that you can apply for a Veterans Concessionary Travel Scheme (VCTS) Oyster photocard.

If you are 60 and over and live in London:
From 2 January 2009 your Older Person's Freedom Pass will give you the same travel concession as that provided by the VCTS pass. If you want to apply for a VCTS Oyster photocard from November 2008, please note that it will only be valid until 2 January 2009.

If you live outside London:
If you have not been sent an application pack please contact our helpline on 0845 331 9872*. You will be sent an application form which you should complete and return with:

A photocopy of your Awards Notification or annual uprating letter from the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA), showing your entitlement to an ongoing payment under the War Pensions Scheme or Armed Forces Compensation Scheme
A passport size photo
Expiry
The VCTS concession will be valid until 30 May 2012.

If you live in London and are nearly 60 years old, the concession will expire one month after your 60th birthday. Once you turn 60, you will be able to get an Older Person's Freedom Pass which provides the same travel benefits as the VCTS Oyster photocard.

* Open 09:00 to 17:00 Monday to Friday. For BT residential customers calls will cost no more than 3.5p per minute (current at October 2007). The price on non-BT phone lines may be different.

Originally Posted by wg100

Note that this isn't the meaning whereby a Veteran is anyone who has served.

This scheme would be extended to those injured veterans. Rightly so in my opinion, they get screwed over enough by the compensation scheme as it is. Every little helps.

All us old farts have already got our national bus pass, thank you very much. :D

Originally Posted by brummieboy1

Originally Posted by wg100

Note that this isn't the meaning whereby a Veteran is anyone who has served.

This scheme would be extended to those injured veterans. Rightly so in my opinion, they get screwed over enough by the compensation scheme as it is. Every little helps.

All us old farts have already got our national bus pass, thank you very much. :D

But it's no use in London.

The Red card was a 'freedom to travel pass' for all the complete knobbers. All they did was invade the trains selling snide copies of the 'Big Issue'.

Yes ,it is a big issue Mr. V. A. GRANT.

And that was the claim to fame before Boris got in charge.

More info

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/faresandtickets/8734.aspx

The Tories have and will always be the forces' party, like someone has said, Red Ken wouldn't dream of awarding veterans of the Queen's service with free travel.

Well that's interesting...shame it seems to only apply to those receiving 'ongoing payments' under the WPS...so I assume as I only got the one off payment, as it fell under a certain amount, I don't get one? I might have to ask about it anyway, even though I don't go to London more than once a year it would be nice to have.

Anyway, good to see that Boris is a man of his word and seems to have got this system up and running pretty swiftly.

S_R

Originally Posted by Sympathetic_Reaction

Well that's interesting...shame it seems to only apply to those receiving 'ongoing payments' under the WPS...so I assume as I only got the one off payment, as it fell under a certain amount, I don't get one? I might have to ask about it anyway, even though I don't go to London more than once a year it would be nice to have.

Anyway, good to see that Boris is a man of his word and seems to have got this system up and running pretty swiftly.

S_R

Same here, I think? I received a single payment under the WP scheme in the early 90s and free prescriptions for related medication but nothing on-going financially.