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

@Crapster

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

In all seriousness how much does car insurance cost where you live? It’s about £1k minimum in the outskirts of London with 9 years no claims (the maximum). You are complaining at how expensive the public transport costs are out somewhere where I have no doubt you’d be able to drive and park for not very much money, this is not the case in London. To get to most of the museums etc in London lots of parents will now not be able to afford to go. It’s not something that personally affects me but I can have empathy.

If where you live is so dire, why don’t you move. I’m sure there is a London family with absolutely no outdoors space, with minimal green space nearby that would love to live where you are after lockdown.

@bookmum08 hi neighbour!
I have to walk up a 12% hill with the weekly shop and i took the hill into consideration when picking childcare for DD. If was a kid round here I would be very annoyed if I suddenly had to start walking or cycling over the hills a couple times a day.

What annoys me about this is that they're going to implement it from the WINTER TERM when it's dark by 4pm latest. I don't want kids walking home in the dark, in the cold and in the pissing rain.

I'm sure lots of London would like to move here. Just as lots of families outside London would love to be able to move to London.

Its just galling that there is v little reality of life outside london. We have a teenage pregnancy rate that bucks the trend as there are so few opportunities because there has been so little investment. The not so hidden rural drug problem is big.

Currently we're fighting for fairer school funding. A primary school child here can receive about 40% less funding. Its hard to staff schools so campaigning for travel would be a pipe dream.

Travel is just prohibitively expensive for most families. Petrol is more expensive here - no idea why. Off peak to London (45 -60 mins) on train for a family of 4 is £116.00.

A better countrywide strategy would be a great idea.

But equally the lack of notice is terrible. I think when they withdrew subdidised travel here many years ago, there was 2 terms notice.

Car insurance cost is about the same btw.

I find it strange that this was not sorted before the kids go back to school. Now would be the perfect time to establish walking or cycling routes or for those who prefer budget for travel costs. Finally, found child rate fares on the TFL site and bookworm8 seems you are right 75p a journey, weekly pass £10.50ish and monthly just over £40.

I have said before I have no issue with paying for the service but the implementation is much to be desired. Each family has to do what is right for them. Yes, 2 miles may not seem far to those that regularly walk to school but you are dealing with generations of kids in London who definitely do not walk 2 miles regularly and are not as streetwise. Neither do many children ride through London's streets during rush hour, most children stiill ride on the pavement including teenagers.

I know some people have presented views on here, which do not really cut the mustard as the same problems are experienced by children outside London, who stilll make it to school everyday but this is a change for London parents and secondary school aged children and some notice would be nice.

Two miles as the crow flies or by a sensible walking/transport route?

There will be families who cannot afford £40 pcm X several children. People may have considered closer schools had they known (at least for their Year 7s/12s).

What would be regarded as too long a walk - an hour?

I agree that lots of lazy teens do use buses for a few stops and it's good that they will have to get used to walking.

However, I really think it is ruthless to bring this in with so little notice. And it's another policy which will impact the less well-off (but not the PP children) more than the affluent. Children will be forced to go to their closest (less good schools) because parents can't afford their public transport costs. Either that, or roads will become super-clogged up with parents driving their children to school every day.

I think it is a mistake. I don’t think it’s going to take too many people switching to driving before London hits school run gridlock.

It’s a short sighted move. We can afford travel costs and live relatively close to the school but it will hit lower income families hard.

The Child Poverty Action Group are campaigning against this

cpag.org.uk/policy-and-campaigns/briefing/dont-zap-zip-campaign-briefing

Over half the young people in London are BAME and there is also a correlation with low income so this change may be indirect discrimination.

@istherelifeafter40

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

Still not the reasoned argument I was not really expecting to get. Slinging insults at other posters doesn’t really advance your argument. Especially when it seems that there will still be bus passes if you live too far away to walk to school.

There will be families who cannot afford £40 pcm X several children. People may have considered closer schools had they known (at least for their Year 7s/12s).

But they don't need to pay £40 per month per child. Because they will still get free travel to school unless the school is under 2 miles away - which is easy walking distance for a secondary child. Walking is free.

So many people seem to be missing this point. Journeys that can be easily walked (under 2 miles) children will now need to walk or parents can choose to pay . Other journeys to school which are potentially too far to walk will still be free. Nobody needs to pay out any money, they just need to tell their secondary age children to walk the short distance to school.

Absolutely the state should not be paying for buses for teenagers who are too lazy to do a 30-40 minute walk to school.

I doubt if you will get much sympathy from anyone outside London where public transport especially bus fares are much higher in general.

I understand it is being withdrawn by order of central government, so they could well have insisted on the timescale. Ironic given that it was in place when our current Prime Minister was London Mayor.

Around my part of London I've seen a kids get on the bus to go just two stops to school. They should absolutely walk if it's less than 2 miles.

As someone who lives in an area where bus fares are very expensive I've been annoyed for years that this was available in London.

wrexham this post was never about sympathy. It was about wanting to know the full details about the plans and the basic question of how much the fares are going to be.

For anyone who wants to take action on this:
Have a look at the Child Poverty Action Group page
cpag.org.uk/policy-campaigns/campaigns/dont-zap-zip-keep-london-transport-free-under-18s

This includes a link to their briefing paper on this issue- an interesting read. It includes details of other parts of the country that currently run subsidised travel schemes for children and young people, along the same line as the London scheme.

There are shocking statistics about child poverty in London and how the poorest kids in the most deprived areas will be affected by this change.

There are also some details about the financial contribution raised by taxation in London, which is spent in the rest of the country.

Change.org petition- www.change.org/p/boris-johnson-suspended-children-s-free-bus-pass

If you can only do one thing though, the single most effective one will be to write a short note to your MP, asking them to speak up about this- it’s a condition being imposed by central government on bailing out Transport for London who have been drastically affected by changes in travel due to COVID, obviously including as mandated by central government.

It's only free after three miles where I am. I can't believe London children have been getting free transport, I had no idea. The school I used to work at had a huge catchment, lots of kids walked the three miles and saved their bus money for a coke and some sweets

Walk to school, bike, or bloody pay like everyone else in the country ffs.

Sorry Chaz x-post

Ds would have been taking the bus from September but I've had to get him used to the idea of walking, simply because with buses taking 35 people max (instead of 70), the chances of him getting on a bus will be minimal. Unfortunately the school have decided Y7 have to use the back gate in Sept, which adds at least 5 minutes onto the walk, which is almost all up a steep hill.

I just checked Google maps which says that's still 1.9 miles and should take 45 min. Better start getting him fit, once this heat calms down.

If this was a decision affecting drivers, or off the Mayor's own bat, there would have been years of lead-in time, like for vehicles not complying with the extended ULEZ.
A compromise would be free travel between 7 and 8.45 and 2.30 and 5, or one or two fares a day.

ReallySpicy read what is being said. Many people are HAPPY to pay. We understand we have been on a ruddy good deal in London. All that the OP and many other London parents want to know is THE COST.
I am sure anything you have to pay for you would like to know the price in advance wouldn't you?

Going by the rest of the country, it'll be around half of whatever an adult fare is, from the age of 4-16, then adult rate after that. Really not that difficult to hazard a guess

DateLoaf
Your post is great.