I’m totally bemused by the amount of coverage the free bus pass scheme for the over-60s has generated.

I’ve just read another half page article regarding a man who was refused travel ‘just before 9am’, when the same article then reminds us that his bus pass is valid between 9:30am and 11pm.

Clearly this was way before 9:30am. The headline says, ‘Sorry, it’s too early to use a pass’. Umm, well – yes, it was!

It would be great to see the scheme extended to 24 hours. It would be wonderful to see free travel for the elderly to and from Dorset County Hospital under any circumstances (it would be equally brilliant to see free parking at the hospital for everyone who travels by car.) However, these are complex issues with counter arguments and obvious funding issues, and we all have to abide by the rules.

Deliberately trying to flaunt the rules in this case may even jeopardise the very privilege about which these complaints are being made.

If you are lucky enough to receive a free pass for anything in the current climate I would grasp it with both hands.

By all means contest any restrictions through the appropriate channels – but not to the bus drivers, and certainly not before 9:30am!

Mike Luke, Address supplied.