any one against the free pensioners buss pass should think that they will be old too one day

MAX BERNSTEIN, london, uk..

Great story but at who's expense?

My daughter (11) has just had her free school bus withdrawn. She now has to walk 3 miles to school, crossing 19 roads along a lonely route where there have been 2 recent fatalities.

If I were Richard, I'd have used the opportunity to campaign for abolishing the very scheme he was taking advantage of in favour of saving childrens' lives.

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Impingtonbus/

Mark Henderson, Girton, UK

It's not true that Mr Elloway's local council has been charged for the journeys. The council that pays is the council responsible for the area in which he boarded each bus on his trip.

At least that's how the scheme works in England. And it's why the figures don't add up. The formula that is used to distribute the government grant gives some councils more money than they need and others get not enough - leading inevitably to cuts in other local services.

If the scheme was administered nationally, this problem would evaporate. Problem is, of course, we don't have an English national government.

Ed Bassford, Firle, East Sussex, England

A fabulous idea and brilliantly executed. It seems to give the lie to the often-held concept that we older citizens lack moral fibre. We have had the free (yes; I can hear Mr South gritting his teeth at this) in Wales for some time and my wife and I make good use of them in walking throughout Wales admittedly often having a car parked to return home or to a mobile caravan at the end of a linear walk. My only query - and a selfish one I fear - is whether we Welsh can qualify for the version that allows travel throughout UK as Mr Elloway managed.

Ivor Williams, Penmaenmawr, Conwy

Ian- it is at a cost to the taxpayer- the bus companies previously received fares from many OAPs and demand compensation for this lost revenue, which the government will pay.

Katie, Durham,

Thats a bit harsh.

An excellent achievement!

LCR, Glasgow,

Every £1 taken in tax costs approximately £18 to collect and distribute.

The true cost of Mr Elloway's journey was his £100 plus a substantial payment from council taxes to the bus companies.

As stated by an earlier poster, he could have done the same journey in a small car and taken three friends for a fuel cost of approximately £70.

Speaking as a bus pass holder, I would prefer that my bus pass was withdrawn and I was given a council tax refund. I would then have a choice of doing the same journey at less cost, in less time, and without going hungry.

Or paying for journeys on my local buses and keeping the difference to pay for food, mortgage and electricity.

Jim Laflin, Bicknoller,

Al South, you are talking through your cloth cap. The card is not swiped. It is simply shown to the driver. I have had a pass for a year and in that time I have used buses more than in my past 45 years put together.
Thank you Mr. Brown. Best thing you have ever done.

KenR, Bedford, UK

Well done. I have gladly paid for you. I did the journey by using 27 buses on 3rd April 2006 and although I paid for tickets and was even given free passes from some of the bus companies my husband drove behind each and every bus for the 5 days of the journey then drove back to Watford the following day. The taxes paid on the petrol have gone to the government. Better to pay for you than MP's expenses that don't benefit any of us.
EVERYONE say "WELL DONE!!"

Debbie Francis, Watford, Hertfordshire

A lovely story. The British at their best, both the man and the people who helped him. What I would like to question, though, is the comment that the free bus pass costs £1bn. Where is the evidence that pensioners have used anything other than existing bus capacity? Because if they haven't, then the additional cost is only that of a very small increase in fuel caused by one extra person in a bus. And what you haven't said is how much the scheme is worth to those who are visited and those who travel. It is clear that many of the people who met Mr Elloway were touched by him and his deeds. Where is that value accounted for? How much did Melanie make, for example, in writing about this, which would not have been possible without the scheme. I am grateful to her for so doing, and for setting the balance right. We are in danger of knowing the cost of everything and the value of nothing and the study which she quotes, and which in effect her article corrects, should be challenged.

ian harper, slough,

When I'm retired, I would rather have a better state pension, or pay less tax, so that I can spend the money on what I like

Frank Upton, Solihull,

I think that after working all his life and paying all those taxes he's entitled to his bus pass and use it how he wishes. I don't think his journey is entirely responsible for any further increases in Al's council tax which I presume Richard himself also pays?

Plus it was for charidy folks.....

Khanie, Cork, Ireland

Richard Elloway, like the majority of people has probably paid his taxes throughout his working life so why shouldn't he now in his latter years reap the benefits.

I applaud him for what he has done.

Janice Lightly, Lydney, Glos

Well done Mr Elloway, nice to see a bit of determination to succeed. Same journey in a small car would cost £70 for fuel and he could have taken along three friends to enjoy the experience.

A. Robertson, Edinburgh,

This is not a 'free bus pass' - each journey will eventually be charged to his local authority and us tax payers will have to give some of our hard earned council tax money via our local councillors into the coffers of the bus companies.

The cards are smart swip cards - and all 11 million pensioners details are held on a central database (id card by stealth!)

Every journey taken the card is swiped and the passengers local council is charged.

If every pensioner took journeys like this every council in the land would soon be bankrupted!

Thanks for hiking my council tax bill - Dick.

Al South, Tilbury, England