I suppose the equivalent would be a disabled passholder taking a companion along even though the journey was for the companion's benefit.
Here is one of the ways in which they are freeloaders.
Another way that I would say is the fact passholders identities are never checked. EVER. I believe there are people fraudulently using someone elses pass knowing full well that the photos aren't checked and it's known that there is no enforcement of any kind on local buses so people use others passes. No one will ever know. If a 20 year old gets on with an OAP pass, granted it will raise eyebrows but the disabled conc passes can be issued at any age.
You've also got the fact that when an OAP loses their pass, they often beg for free travel. 'Oh I've left my pass at home', 'I've lost it'. Well in that case, pay up like everyone else. If I forget my weekly ticket, I don't get let on for free, why should they get on for free when they have forgotten their pass?
Other issues include instances such as travelling miles away by bus just because it's free versus using the train or using buses in other areas, just because they are free (like when on holiday). Tourist hotspots come to mind and often why their bus services are so poor and fares so high because of the freeloaders. If they can afford the holiday, they can afford a few quid for the bus. In my area, come about 10ish, a good number of pass holders come out of the pubs and so after spending goodness knows how much per pint, they then use their pass to get home. If you're paying the silly prices for pints, you can afford your bus fare home.
The rest of my comment about them being entitled and that I would say is the biggest part to focus on. This is noticeable when the schemes are reduced and there suddenly becomes uproar that everyone is against them because they are being told to pay up for their bus fare. Also, there is a huge upset in Halton because they are on the Cheshire concessionary scheme but they are part of the Liverpool City Region and Merseyside pass holders get train and ferry included in their pass. Cheshire doesn't.
After Covid when the restrictions on passes got put back in place, there was some upset in some areas that councils were forcing social isolation and all the normal rubbish that they spout.
When a bus is about to be cut, they all complain but god forbid they ever put a penny into the bus service to make it viable. I have a free pass, why should I pay. Granted the reimbursement isn't their fault but no one forces them to use their bus pass. They can always pay for a fare.
Other ways in which they are entitled are already listed on this thread with things like pushing in. Go to Birmingham and it's like a rugby scrum for the pass holders. Normal fare payers don't have a chance. But hey, they are quick to moan and kick off if you're stood further up in the line than you should be or even if you stand near the front but have no intention of boarding early, they are quick to have you. I think that's just an old person thing though rather than pass holders, just coincidence pass holders are mostly old people.
I agree it would be political suicide to withdraw the scheme though
It is impossible for bus services to continue though on the current scheme. It's being seen now more than ever. Pass heavy routes being cut because they can't make them viable and they lose so much money. A much better scheme needs to be introduced by reducing how free the pass is while still keeping it in place. Reducing how free the pass is, with the same budget, means more reimbursement per pass and that is what is needed more than anything.
I object to the use of the word "freeloaders" in the title of this thread. On Mondays to Fridays before 0930 hours, when the working population travels to work by bus, the concessionary pass holders are kept away from travelling by the non-validity of the pass prior to that time on those days and if the concessionary pass holders wishes to travel prior to that time, they are liable for payment of the full fare.
There are 83 "Travel Concessionary Authorities" in England with 81 answered the DFTs Concessionary Bus Statistics (Isle of Scilly has no bus service and Hull has no data). Of those 81, 45 offer pre 0930 travel to both OAPs and disabled pass holders and a further 25 offer pre 0930 travel to disabled pass holders. so 55% of authorities give pre 0930 travel to OAPs.
(source, Govt Concessionary Bus Statistics:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/bus08-concessionary-travel Table Bus0841)