Cost of carer travel for disabled angers mum (From Thurrock Gazette)

Cost of carer travel for disabled angers mum

8:24pm Monday 28th April 2008 in News

A GRAYS pensioner is calling for carers to be included in the new National Concessionary Bus Pass scheme after her disabled son now faces being out of pocket every time he travels to Basildon Hospital.

Mrs Phyllis Harrison, 79, of Overcliff Road says the new bus pass scheme will actually cost her son Peter Harrison, 44, more money than before as carers no longer get free travel to and from Basildon Hospital.

This means that every time Peter makes a trip to the hospital, or in fact anytime he travels anywhere outside of the borough, he will have to personally cover his carer's return fee, as he needs to be accompanied on trips out.

Under the old Travel Thurrock passes carers could get free travel to and from Basildon Hospital when accompanying pass holders.

This is something Mrs Harris would like to see brought in again. She said: "It would make a tremendous difference to my son's life if his carer could travel back from Basildon with him for free.

"He is visually impaired and has trouble with his hearing, so he needs to have a carer with him on the bus.

"I don't think that it is fair that he will have to pay his carer's return fee every time he goes to the hospital, and you can't expect the carer to pay out.

"There are a lot of disabled people in Thurrock that this affects."

Carers are not actually entitled to free travel anywhere under the new National Concessionary scheme, but Thurrock Council have negotiated with the local bus companies to allow them free travel when accompanying pass holders on journeys made from Thurrock.

They say they are not able to negotiate free travel further afield.

However, Basildon and East Thurrock MP Angela Smith has queried this.

She said: "If Thurrock Council provided free travel for carers before, I fail to understand why it cannot continue to do so now - surely it can't cost more after April 1 than before April 1?"

Council Spokesperson Andy Lever said: "Carers are not catered for at all in the new national concessionary bus pass scheme, however Thurrock Council has negotiated with local companies so that carers will be able to travel for free if their journey starts in the borough.

"Unfortunately, the council cannot negotiate further afield under the new national scheme."