London parents - Free bus travel for children suspended from October half term

[Poundpup]

I just came across this article whilst browsing the BBC site and it seems that free transport for under 18s will be suspended temporarily directly after the October half term. With exceptions for those travelling to school more than 2 miles away.

Does anyone know how much a child's fare is? As nowhere seems to indicate what the incoming children fares will be.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-53694922

I mean that you don't represent the views of the entire country.

Is anyone's life really getting worse? Schools over 2 miles away and your journey is free. Most teens can walk 4 miles to school and back. If they have disabilities apply for a pass.

Free travel the rest of the time was an absolute luxury. Very few other areas have free buses and tubes/tube equivalents.

@istherelifeafter40

I mean that you don't represent the views of the entire country.

Don't I?! Am so surprised, given my high status..... Good to know I don't, cheers!

Who on earth takes subsidised travel away from children, what kind of monster government do we have?

FFS. So I have still not heard any reasonable argument from the overly dramatic as to why children in London should get free travel and children in the rest of the country should not?

Well, I will have to pay £220 for one child to go to school and I don't have this money. I am also quite puzzled by how pleased people are by someone's misery. London is very diverse - many more Black people than in rural areas, for instance. Race and poverty is correlated in the UK< so you know. It is not very difficult to see what kind of teenagers will lose out, will be locked in their neighbourhoods, won't be able to go across the town to meet their friends. Yes, people in rural areas don't have subsidised travel, but they also don't live in a city of - what - 9 million people? Which has - as a city - an expectation that you actually do travel - to go to museums, to go to theatres, to go to see things. Or London should also be punished because there is nowhere to go in rural areas?

Not to be really stupid...why does London get free travel?

Why should Londoners be special and get it free?

Because that's what the transport company chose to do....? It's nothing to do with Londoners being "special".

I've always thought it a bit odd. We always had to pay when I was a child (although I did have a free bus pass for school travel as we were over 3 miles away as the crow flies)

MrsFezziwig employ your brain a little and you will figure out why. I am saying good-bye for now

I will have to pay £220 for one child to go to school and I don't have this money

Why? Can they not walk? Or of its over 2 miles the government will pay.

@MrsFezziwig

Who on earth takes subsidised travel away from children, what kind of monster government do we have?

FFS. So I have still not heard any reasonable argument from the overly dramatic as to why children in London should get free travel and children in the rest of the country should not?

Ask your local bus company why they don't give free travel to children. No one else will know their reasoning.

BTW there is plenty of rural poverty, it just goes unnoticed. It also goes without the ability of free access to cultural capital which is mostly based in London ( and I say this as an ex londoner).

I really don't see anything wrong with parents having to pay for travel under 2 miles. I think it's a bloody good deal if, as seems to be the case, travel over 2 miles will continue to be paid for.

No school in my village. My child went to the primary in the next village. The childminder had kids from a couple if different schools but they shared a bus so I had to pay for the school bus for a journey of 1.2 miles. £300 a year. Now is at the secondary that the primary is a feeder school for. Just setting the scene that I've not chosen a school deliberately a long way off. I pay £500 a year for the school bus. For a distance that in London would be free.

Well, I will have to pay £220 for one child to go to school

No you won't as you said they have to travel over 2 miles

Rural poverty is so so hidden. Its far more geographically spread too. Rural bus routes have been cut to the bone. Our local villages now have a minibus once a week fgs. Families have to have a vehicle to survive.

I can't see the major gripe over this. Getting to school shouldn't cost any more than it already does. If you want to do fun stuff, it costs. Just like everywhere else in the country.

Ritasue I am not really sure how gradients work. I had a Google. I was mostly directed to cyclist forums that basically declare it the hill that no cyclist (professional) should ever attempt.
Worst hill in London it seems to be frequently refered to.
Anyway - probably a big healthy teen probably can walk up it. I only mentioned it because you declared London to be flat !!

@Hercwasonaroll

I will have to pay £220 for one child to go to school and I don't have this money

Why? Can they not walk? Or of its over 2 miles the government will pay.

Not in my area, no school bus under 6 miles, and that's only to and from school- no unlimited travel including weekends.

and race / poverty really isn't appropriate here. How can you generalise on the incomes of any particular race, and as has been stated many times, there's still free travel for over 2 miles, which i think is pretty genersous.

Back in the day when I went to school in a London borough we had to pay per bus ride, not a flat fare.... I could only afford one bus, so pretended to want to get healthy and walk home so as not to let on to friends that I had no money.

This will kerb the amount of teenagers only going a few stops, that I'm in favour of.

£273.00 a term. Rural location.

Its our choice. Either this or the school that has sunk and is carrying on sinking.

Bus for an adult £8 return to the town thats 10 minutes drive away.

Yes pp - people outside London have a car - and a 45 minute journey for 2 miles in rush hour. It's not only London n that has congestion. DC walked it

People asking why London children get free travel - because we voted for Ken Livingstone as Mayor!

@CaffeineInfusion

: * This is disgusting. Whilst pensioners retain their free travel? *

A charming comment. I shall share that with my parents tomorrow. It's true you can't please everyone all the time, but I would rather the elderly assisted, than the kids that create havoc.

Some of our drivers won't take any crap from the kids. Quite often the engine's switched off, and not restarted till the kids are off. I'm talking really offensive language, fighting. They're all in local uniform. Seems to be lack of respect everywhere. When I was at school, you were in trouble for bringing the schools name into disrepute. And if there were problems, a couple of teachers would ride the buses. No getting away with it.

And I think the annual panaromic school photo was to help I'd the culprits😂

I'm actually in favour of this move. And yes, it will hit my pocket.

This, exactly!

@TitianaTitsling are you in London?

I think the PP is so I don't understand why she has to pay now.

A gradient of 23% (The steepest in London) is completely fine for professional cyclist (I regularly do that and I am not fit) or a school kid walking under 2 miles. People pay £700-800 pounds per year to travel out of catchment area and no child has free transport under two miles. Perspective, ladies, perspective!

As a visitor, I’ve always found London public transport amazingly cheap and frequent.

I don't know what the fuss is about tbh.

My teens walk to school 2.5 miles each day, and have done since the start of secondary. We're not rural, we're in a SE suburb just outside of London. The area we live in is pretty indistinguishable from outer London areas, except no tube and much less frequent (and more expensive) bus service!

This will not cost any parents extra money, unless they choose for it to do so. Under 2 miles to school, the child can walk (free and bonus exercise) and over 2 miles to school, they will still get a free pass.

All secondary aged children without a disability are very capable of walking 2 miles (and much more!) to school, and its bloody good for them to do so. For those with a disability, I imagine there will be some kind of concession in place.