A pensioners' action group has slammed proposals to raise the price of concessionary travel passes.

At a meeting of Braintree Council's executive last Monday members agreed to increase the amount users of the Fare Paid Travelpasses pay for the pass from £110 to £128.

The passes for men over 65 and women over 60 are valid for a year. They are one of four different concessionary bus travel schemes Braintree Council operates and enable the holder to travel anywhere in Essex without having to pay when they get on a bus.

The others include half fare and a token scheme where users buy a number of tokens which can be exchanged for tickets on boarding a bus.

But a recent review into the scheme has said the costs of running the scheme are increasing.

And as a result the executive agreed to reduce the level of subsidy for the Fare Paid Travelpass, from £56 to £38.50, and to increase the amount users pay for it by £18 to £128.

But Braintree Pensioners Action Group have said the rise is unfair to elderly people.

Chairman Phyllis Webb said: "We really don't think it's fair to expect pensioners to pay more for their travel passes.

"They are already £110 which is expensive and to ask people to pay an extra £18 doesn't seem right. An extra £18 a year is a lot of money when you have to live on a pension."

Published Monday, December 16, 2002

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