Passing thought

While there is much to be said for Margaret Lyall’s suggestion of “stopping bus passes for car-owning pensioners, for whom a bus pass is unnecessary” (Letters, 5 June), it would be difficult to implement in practice.

Those living in rural areas may depend on their cars because of the absence, or infrequency, of public transport. They would have to be exempted, but deciding who would qualify would create an expensive bureaucratic nightmare. As far as I can see, the only way to implement her suggestion would be to add the notional value of the bus pass to the car licence fee for everyone.

But this would cause such an outcry that no government 
hoping for re-election would dare do it.

Martin D Stern

Hanover Gardens

Salford