London parents, did you know about public transport changes?

Most people choose their nearest suitable school @squidsister. Even in catchments of 0.9 or whatever it is in most parts of inner London, this is still often going through v busy roads, junctions etc. Also, sibling spaces and EHCP kids often live way further away.

It’s a shame but if TFL can no longer afford this then there’s not much to be done. I am fortunate though as I chose the nearest schools for my 3 so it won’t affect us too much as they can walk it.

We would have had a 3-4 mile walk (drop off, walk 3 miles to work then reverse at collection time). Oh yes that would make perfect sense!

Agree this makes no sense. Kids can’t cycle to school where we live (zone 1 - simply not safe). They can’t be driven (we’re in the C Charge zone but many families live just outside it) and anyway we shouldn’t be encouraging driving. Walking yes but not if you’ve got two kids at different schools. It’s a real challenge for some of our low income families.

That’s true isn’t it - I had to get a monthly pass when I used to have to take DS to school. I would just walk to work if I didn’t need to do this so it was that plus his train fare (it was a right schlep across town so I took him until he was 12). Plus all the time I had to take a taxi because of all the strikes.

This is politicking by Sadiq Khan. Khan was on GMB with the letter that he had been sent by the Tory government showing the conditions of the £1.6bn TFL bailout. In the letter there was nothing saying what he had to do to secure the money and Piers Morgan pulled him apart for implementing all of the the changes to the congestion charge, Over 60s travel and removal of free kids travel. He wouldn't accept it was his decision. I will NEVER vote for that man again. It will cost me an additional £120 to get my DD to and from school - money that I just don't have at the moment. It's disgraceful.

What the child fares? They are free now not you pay for children (from 11) on the tube and trains.

@Lordfrontpaw Where have you heard this? I can find no confirmation of this anywhere?

It's the lack of choice for poorer families that bothers me because no school offers a full range of A level or BTEC subjects. So a pupil living slightly over the boundary wanting to follow a particular course in the TFL area may be unable to do so because the family are unable to pay the fares for them to travel. So instead they have to take a less suitable course at a school/college in their own borough/county where travel subsidies apply. It just isn't fair.

There has been too much of this "we're entitled" non-means tested awards of freebies to the overs 60s, many of whom are comparatively wealthy and most still working. Free travel should only be given to those who need it. DH is a director of a Hedge Fund company and he will be entitled to free travel in less than 2 years time, that is ridiculous. Khan is not a good mayor, he is unwilling to tackle obvious problems like this despite TFL being desperately short of money because removing things will make him unpopular and don't start me on knife crimes.

It’s free for the buses, not trains or underground.

It's horrible how much kids have to pay in other places. They should be free to travel and explore, but at least get to school for free.
London's issue is complex though, it is v v expensive to own any other mode of transport. Bikes are a great idea but the majority don't have anywhere to store them. The kids who can't afford a bus pass won't be able to afford a bike either.

@snagscardies - I suppose it depends how much freedom Khan has to adjust it. He doesn't care about Tory voters (who are mostly in the outer boroughs and I suspect are heavier car users anyway). I'm not sure it would be a big GE issue and it's 4.5 years till the next one of those.

Completely agree it should be free everywhere for U18s. There's a particular congestion-reducing imperative in London though- some parents will move to driving and some kids won't be able to get around to school etc at all. Other costs of living are much much higher in London too.

They won't increase the free age limit to state retirement age as those over 60s make up a significant percentage of those that vote for the Conservatives.

I didn't know London kids had it free, I pay £600 a year for my kids bus pass.

I hope they only have done it to stop transport overcrowding between now and September when the senior kids return.

I think it's fair enough to make it the same in London as elsewhere. Whether that is free everywhere or chargeable in London is another issue.

It's not just school, either, it's critical for social mobility- being able to move around the city to access facilities- also bearing in mind it's simply not safe for some kids to cross into different postcode areas on foot. There are also lots of secondary kids in our area who have to do multiple bus trips to pick up younger siblings from ASC. Free bus travel enables some families who are really marginal to survive.

I think the Freedom Pass is a great thing but it would be sensible to adjust it so that it tallies up with retirement age. We have the most expensive transport system in a capital in Europe and the only one not at all subsidised by a government (1 guess which mayor introduced that). Completely ignores that it is an engine of the London economy rather than a personal benefit.

If this is only for 3 months perhaps it's aimed to stop families having days out in London over the summer holidays? Avoid London becoming a hot spot for transmission again?

It is a shame if it continues though!

A yearly child bus pass just outside of zone 6 is nearly 500 and I'm pretty sure the 3 miles thing only counts if that's the school the LA has given you, not if it's your choice to choose a grammar school 5 miles away.

@LynetteScavo for a number of our pupils, the allocated school may only be 2 miles from home but the walk would be along the dual carriageway in front of Belmarsh, or it's 3 miles but along another bit of Thamesmead dual carriageway and up a steep hill before trudging across a bleak common. Had parents known there would be no free bus travel, they would have had an opportunity to put different preferences on the CAF but the sudden withdrawal means they were denied the opportunity to factor that in.

I know DD1 sometimes catches a bus part of the way to her school, usually when she's running late. It's only a couple of miles so she doesn't need to and having to pay for it would definitely make her think twice. She'd already declared that she wouldn't be getting on buses anymore because of coronavirus but she has the luxury of a reasonably safe walking route to school. And she's 15.

@SquirmOfEels I must admit this is also true. It really bothers me how teenagers behave like the bus is theirs, when they're the ones on them for free. I think a system like the one in NYC could work. They get 4 or 5 free rides per day.

It's not been well publicised

But we've all seen how, pre-COVID, pupils would ram themselves on buses to go only a stop or two. That simply must not happen.

Allowing free transport only for those whose nearest school test couid offer them a place was over 2 or 3 miles away (depending on age, ie the statutory entitlement) strikes me as likely to be the rule for quite some time to come

p.s. Here's the conditions for free travel: www.gov.uk/free-school-transport

@LynetteScavo But if the school is more than three miles travel will be payed, surely. Like it is in the rest of the country?

Only if it's the only school they can attend. If there's a closer scho your DC could have got a place at then I don't think it applies.

I foresee a number of the most vulnerable Y6 pupils never making it to secondary because it's yet another expense that their families don't have spare money for.

But if the school is more than three miles travel will be payed, surely. Like it is in the rest of the country?
It costs DD £7.20 day in the Midlands for a return ticket to school by public transport because she's not at the nearest school, but it's free for those with no school nearer to them.

I'm sorry that children will have to pay for transport in London. I've always thought it was really special that children could travel for free and hoped to see it rolled out across the rest of the country.

Sorry to add, I think kids who live on the borders of anywhere are negatively impacted by some things, especially transport and education access. It's a shame.

@cakeisalwaystheamswer I completely agree. I think, if not increasing their age, I think he needs to remove the free tube travel on the freedom pass. Not even over 11s go on for free, they pay half price. I hope if they have to pay it's not something ridiculous. DD relies heavily on her zip card to get to and from clubs and school. Her school is 3 miles away but the whole journey is 2 very busy inner London high roads and junctions and roundabouts. Without proper cycle lanes, there is no way I'd let her cycle.
Also, I think this will massively increase congestion- you're better off getting a car for a family than using public transport for a day out; or anywhere really.

I am always surprised that TFL continues to fund non-means tested free travel for the over 60s when the state retirement age is so much older. This is very costly for TFL and not really justifiable.

Charging children is not new for TFL, until last year school children living just outside the TFL area but attending a school or college 6th form within it were required to pay child fares for TFL up until the age of 18 but adult fares thereafter, a very expensive travel year for a DC in upper 6th with a September birthday. A new card came into force this year reducing the fares to child level for the whole school year but it is still expensive for a child to travel to attend what is most probably their nearest school, or nearest school that offers their 6th form course.

Parents need to be making a big fuss about the removal of free child travel otherwise it will be made permanent. If TFL needs to save money then obviously the over 60s travelcard needs to be increased to an over 67s travelcard. My neighbour is a senior partner of a very large law firm, he can travel to work for free but 12 years olds are being charged. This is wrong. The mayor has been using free travel to the over 60s to get their votes, parents need to make sure he knows that if he doesn't re-instate free child fares he will be losing theirs.