Where are these moves afoot? Not in Ireland, or if they are I haven't heard anything of them. It would be highly unlikely that any government would want to antagonise the silver vote.

The free travel is pretty good value for the government because it keeps many bed-and-breakfasts, shops, cafes and restaurants alive - and, effectively the towns they're in - because old people travel to see each other and eat out and stay in B&Bs or small hotels. Since old people are more likely to buy locally-made goods, the money that's saved on transport still circulates within the economy.

And yes, lots of old people who haven't driven for years buying cars and setting off to travel the roads would scare the bejaysus out of politicians.

In term of who's able to walk to transport and who's not, in Ireland some one-third of the population lives in the Greater Dublin Area, and is well served by public transport.