Happy Christmas Oxfordshire County Council! From April 2011, all disabled people are to be charged £4-£6 to ride on the dial-a-ride (Octobus). Add to that the not unreasonable entry fee of just £1.50 to Marston Over-50s Club in Jack Straws Lane, and I will no longer be able to afford to enjoy a Thursday afternoon in good company.

Thanks for taking that away from me. That just leaves me church within manageable distance and Oxsrad choir to which I am taken by car.

I can manage the fairly short walk to the bus going, but not coming back because there is no seat at the bus stop and I cannot stand for long. The last time I tried I had to wait nearly 20 minutes for a Northway Bus and I was in agony.

If the authorities are going to take away one thing, surely it is not too much to ask that they provide a seat at that bus stop – or is that also a question of money?

I’m not forgetting the others who travel on Octobus to do their shopping. Another £4 will be added to their shopping bill before they even hit the shops. They aren’t capable of trailing round essential shops in Oxford since in their wisdom the council moved all the bus stops further away. It seems unjust that the able-bodied, who can do so much more than we can, are still allowed free bus travel.

Keep dial-a-ride free. We’ve already paid a £5 membership fee!

EDITH PARSONS Broadhead Place, Northway Estate, Oxford