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'm also worried about the zip cards now having a cash value and being stolen by bullies inside school and muggers outside school.

My DCs and their friends have always had cash on them as they have used them for trains and tubes too. I'm not aware of anyone being mugged for them.

Gosh, there are some bitter people on here.
I don't live in London anymore and my kids have never gone to school in London, but I don't feel it's unfair for London's children to get free transport.
It isn't that they are special, it's that TfL chose to subsidise children's travel (using the revenue from adult Londoners' fares - so it's being paid for by Londoners). Maybe all those complaining about unfairness (or worse, celebrating the withdrawal of children's free transport) could get onto their local travel companies and request adult fares are put up to pay for children's fares.

Plus, there is a case for London's children needing free transport:
Swathes of children live in poverty. (And yes, they do elsewhere, but it is far more concentrated in London www.theweek.co.uk/101237/ten-worst-areas-for-child-poverty-in-the-uk )
Few people own cars.
Unfortunately in some parts of London it isn't safe for children to walk home.

Still no confirmation of the date or the details

www.london.gov.uk/coronavirus/coronavirus-covid-19-faqs/what-are-new-rules-children-and-young-people-under-18-travelling-and-when-are-you-going-make-these

Move to Paris, which has just voted in free transport for kids 👍

I am devastated as I know it will mean I choose to leave my children at home rather than take them out shopping.

Covering school materials during lock down has been super expensive, buying materials and books and paper.

Meat is not typically bought at the moment as can't afford.

We would not be eligible for any benefits.

I did try a good back but obviously you need to be in the system for that.

Food bank not good back

@JulesCobb

Most of the country outside of London have a car, and that makes a difference.

How is that relevant when children arent allowed to drive?

My daughter’s bus fare will be £900 a school year. That’s a disgrace.

It’s relevant because parents aren’t as able to give a lift or pick up, even part way, and also for supermarket shopping where parents need their children to go with them to help carry stuff back in the bus, fetch siblings from other schools etc, as well as other activities.

snowin it's still going to be free for the under 11s.

Londoners don't know they're bloody born when it comes to transport tbh. And I say that as someone who lived in London and still visits family there regularly.

London transport is already far cheaper, faster, more frequent, more reliable, and runs for longer hours than anywhere else in the UK. Our rural bus service has been cut to 4 buses a day to the nearest town (4 miles away) which is where the nearest shop/school/doctor etc is. An adult return is £7.20! My DCs school bus pass costs me £785 a year despite her going to the nearest sixth form, because she's over 16 now so doesn't get free transport. The nearest train station is 16 miles away and again, 4 buses a day. This is pretty standard outside major towns!

I know it shouldn't be a race to the bottom but it's fucking galling to see people complaining about something that's still a far better deal than most of the UK could ever hope for.

The comments about cultural capital are a joke. I live 30 miles from an art gallery and it takes 2.5 hours and costs £25 for me and 1 child to get there by public transport. So far we haven't dropped dead of lack of access to cultural capital. Get a grip

Our rural bus service has been cut to 4 buses a day to the nearest town (4 miles away)

Luxury. One bus a week in my neck of the woods. Zero when I was a teenager.

Cultural capital isn't a joke, it's a major factor in determining social mobility or rather the lack of it.

It’s relevant because parents aren’t as able to give a lift or pick up, even part way

But neither can ANYBODY in the ENTIRE country whose children's school is in the opposite
Direction to their place if work.

and also for supermarket shopping where parents need their children to go with them to help carry stuff back in the bus
That’s exactly the same for families with no access to cars outside London.

fetch siblings from other schools etc, as well as other activities.
Do you think only families in London have children in different schools. Most people with two children at least a year apart in age will have, at some point, children in different schools.

And you think only London children attend other activities?

Your arguments are ridiculous. You'd be much better saying yes we had this massive perk and are now pissed off its going.

Crapster as a Londoner I have said several times on this thread that I am perfectly happy to pay (can't speak for all Londoners obviously) it's just Transport for London are being secretive about when the costs will come in, how much they actually will be. No indication of how it will work if a child would be entitled to free transport - ie do we have to register what school our child goes to on their Oyster Zip card (Zip cards are the children's version of Oyster), how do we do that etc.
This is the information parents need to know. I assume in the rest of the country parents know way in advance what the travel costs will be.
I just want to know the details in advance.
I am happy to pay.

There are two issues with this change

• parents have chosen schools without considering the cost of travel as it wasn't a factor previously

• London councils will have to create departments to sort out who is entitled to free travel to school and who isn't

I have said already that I'm sympathetic to how frustrating it must be to have something withdrawn but I'm bemused by some of the arguments that have been given on the thread as to why it's worse for children in London than elsewhere. Like the poster who said last night that parents have to go to work so can't transport children to school.

It led me thinking about how often women are berated on Mumsnet for going part time at work or becoming a sahm, but if you live in a small town or a rural area it's often the only option because there is a lack of childcare coupled with a lack of transport.

Transport, or lack of it, can have pretty far reaching consequences for people's lives. And if you are used to having a choice of trains, buses and/or tubes, running at regular intervals it would be a shock to live elsewhere and see how limited your choices are, for work, leisure and your children's education.

My ds tells me that kids often miss lunch because their parents haven't topped up their online lunch account. Do you think parents like that will bother to make sure their dcs Oyster card has funds on it?

Can we discuss how much these zip cards have actually been abused over the years?

I know several stores who will be pleased that out of Area groups of kids will no longer be able to rock up at their leisure, nick shed loads from the shops, then travel back, free of charge of course and sell it on the street. Its a massive problem and not enough store security or police to prevent most of it.

I don't think they would pay to go on their thieving escapades.

Free travel is a privilege, not a right.

Your arguments are ridiculous. You'd be much better saying yes we had this massive perk and are now pissed off its going.

I’m not pissed off at all. It doesn’t affect me. But I am able to see the effect it will have on other people - especially due to the lack of car ownership and the huge poverty in London. Yes, other people in the country also might not have cars or be poor, but there is more of it in London.

I actually don’t object to the change per se, but I think it needed more notice.

The lack of neighbourhood schools makes a difference, meaning children are excluded from getting places at their nearest schools. Eg, near me, my nearest secondary schools at the time were boys only, girls Catholic only, lottery, fair banding, partially selective on some criteria or other. There was no all-entry school for local children. You could not guarantee that you would get a place at any of them.

Yes as Daisypond says a local neighborhood school simply doesn't exist in many parts of London. There is no "oh I will just send mine to the local comp" because there is no 'local comp'.

@bookmum08 I think you live near me, the many boroughs and the hills... your not far from "the triangle" ?

Yes 'The Triangle' (with it's own current saga with the 'traffic calming' chaos)

Why is it a race to the bottom, though? All of Luxembourg enjoy free public transport plus lots of cities in Europe Wikipedia here. Public transport is shit and expensive in other parts of the UK, but that's something that needs to change and improve. We must leave cars behind to tackle climate change, it's a problem with the current government's priorities rather than London's kids, surely? Londoners do enjoy benefits but there are plenty of drawbacks incl. longer hours and vastly higher house prices - my borough average is almost double the UK average.

@nettytree

Good. We have to pay for children everywhere else. My son pays £1.30 minimum fare here in Wales.

exactly - we are out of our bus-lines main city, so dont even qualify for any 'hopper' type deals

We must leave cars behind to tackle climate change

I agree with this, but come on, two miles is eminently walkable.

@nettytree

Good. We have to pay for children everywhere else. My son pays £1.30 minimum fare here in Wales.

I agree. When do we get free prescriptions?

Over 2 miles in London is a long way. The nearest secondary school to us is two or three bus routes away (depending on the route you take and in the am you have little choice. It’s not over 2 miles away but would cost quite a bit, I’ve no idea what the Oyster cap is for buses.

@istherelifeafter40 £9?!? It’s £19 for zones 1-6. The oyster cap is £13.20 for zones 1-4 the travel card is £13.50 and the cap £10.40.

@SheWranglesRugRats not in the piddling rain or the snow. We live really close to DS school and the trip in snow is not safe.