There are a lot of people who refuse to use their free bus passes or even get one. I live midway between two major hospitals where the local buses drop off and pick up passengers right in front of the entrance.
Often as the bus pulls in the carpark is full . The car driver pays for parking there even though for some it means a long walk to and from where they have had to park. The buses all have a drop down facility so that the platform is flush with the kerb. A place inside the bus for wheelchairs and prams. I do not know the statistics of the age of all out patients and visitors but from observation I would suggest that they seems to be a larger proportion of senior citizens. Often entitled to an ambulance or free car ride for the journey. DHSS claimants can reclaim bus fares when they attend a hospital . A lot of the elderly would be entitled to reclaim bus fares if they did not have their passes because they get means tested benefits as well as their pensions.
The criteria for a bus (rather than a coach) is that there are 15 miles or less between stops, so even a lot of express buses can be used too.
In Spain, the elderly get a free weeks holiday during the winter, to keep the hotels going whilst the tourists are not there. The government subsidises hotels to keep the industry going. Otherwise the hotel staff are kept on half pay over winter.
Subsidising industries and jobs is better instead of having people unemployed and since the free bus passes have come in to being the frequency of buses has increased. There would still be subsidies for bus companies, so that a service existed in a lot of areas and by doing it by giving the passes to the elderly and disabled means that the companies still get a subsidy and people get a ride. The seats would still be there on subsidised bus routes whether there were bums on them or not.