Buses for Jobs scheme and the Job Centre Plus Travel Discount Card

Just before New Year, I was looking on my local bus companies website to find out the holiday bus schedule and I noticed an advert for free bus travel for job seekers. Of course I was intrigued, this would mean that I could get into the centre of Bristol really easily to sign up with/pester recruitment agencies, look in shop windows for job adverts, all the things the Job Centre says I have to do each week. I could also travel to areas on the outskirts of Bristol and to other nearby locations to try and find a job. I did wonder why the Job Centre hadn't mentioned it before Christmas, but nothing from them really surprises me any more (unless they are actually helpful, then confusion abounds).

I looked into the offer and it is:

Free travel on buses during January for holders of the Job Centre Plus Travel Discount Card.
More information is available on the Bus For Us website.

Well what I hear you ask is this mythical Job Centre Plus Travel Discount Card?

I'd never heard of it, never seen an advert in the Job Centre, on the DWP or Direct.gov websites. My "adviser" had never mentioned it.

Well 30 minutes and a couple of google searches later I had the information I needed.

It is a card that initially was just available in London, but is now available nationwide, that you can get from the Job Centre.

To qualify for the card, you need to be on Income based JSA and have been unemployed for over 3 months. There might be other factors that I don't know about, so look into it for yourself if you think this will help you.

You also need 2 passport photos for the application, mine cost me £5 at the local post office, but considering that a day ticket on the bus is £4, it's a bargain.

I phoned the Job Centre to make an appointment to get a card asap (my first sign on in January was not due until the 9th and I didn't want to miss 8 days of free travel). The person I spoke to, as usual was an unhelpful tit, he made the appointment for me on the 3rd January.  He informed me that I probably wouldn't get a card because they "can only issue 20 cards",  which is rubbish, they can issue cards to everyone that qualifies for it. Of course I told him he was talking rubbish and informed him of the correct information, which is by the way my usual response to people at the Job Centre when they talk shite.

On the 3rd January I got my card, it took about 30 minutes, mostly because the Job Centre in inefficient, all I had to do was hand over the photos, sign the back of one, and sign some paper work in two places and read some Ts&Cs.

This first time I tried to use the card was a disaster as can be read about here http://livingituponthedole.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/public-humiliation-is-all-part-of.html

But the second time I tried, it was ok and I was able to travel for free. I am going to do weekly updates about this, because so far I have not found one First Bristol and Bath bus driver that has heard of the scheme or knows what to do with the card.

BTW if you are travelling on First buses with this card, the ticket is under F5 and it's the bottom left hand option, no ticket prints out.