To think bus passes for all under 25s is a fab idea

[jnfrrss]

Around here the bus is so expensive that it's cheaper to run a car but many young people can't afford that while saving for a deposit. This is a really good policy by labour imo. I would also restore the bus pass to JSA people as that is really needed.

It would be a better use of the transport budget to invest in an integrated transport service. I went to the Netherlands recently and was able to use one travel card to go anywhere in the country on any bus or train. In the town where I live, I need two different tickets just to get to work by bus (two different operators).

Once our transport system works, then we can talk about who gets free/cheap passes.

It's another Corbyn Unicorn.

FIrstly he'd have to buy back the bus companies, then they'd have to issue passes, regulate passes etc etc - given that buses outside of the capital & large cites are absolute crap he may as well make them totally free for all. We'd still end up paying for them.

Buses are so heavily subsidised it's ridiculous, for outlying villages round here there's one bus out a 9 & another back at 4 - no fecking use to anyone, it'd be more honest to scrap them totally.

I wish that free bus travel was available for my two grandchildren aged 14 + 16 for getting back and forth to school,my DD has to spend £14.00 a day in fares for them to get to school she does not get school bus pass as she decided that this school was better for the children opposed to the one 4 miles away which has a very bad ofsted rating.
I do agree that pensioners passes should be means tested same as Child Benefit is not paid to people over a certain income the same should apply for pensioners.

TheBadgers When my son travels to his part time job he has to take two buses and both are run by the same operator but he can't get a ticket from A to C, he has to buy one for A to B and then another on the next bus for B to C so even though he has his under-20s £1.30 per journey card he has to pay double that. Getting to work and back therefore costs £5.20 for a 6 mile round trip (he'd walk but a lot of the way is a dual carriage ways with no footpaths).

Everyone I know kW under 25 can easily afford public transport. Why should the tax payer pay for it just for shits and giggles? Should I expect the tax payer to pay for my lunch from now on as well to make it easier for me to save for a deposit?

Our nearest big town has brought in a free bus service for everybody! Apparently it makes massive savings by not printing tickets and not having to check people have a ticket or have paid the correct fare, so in fact it's costing the same to run it paid for from the "rates" but free at point of service.

Oh god please no. I live in se london and the buses are so so packed!! Every morning I can't even get on them, why would anyone think this is a good idea.

What a load of rubbish. Our local Labour run Council have just cut all free School transport for severely disabled 16-18yr olds. So these announcement make me fume. I have no idea who to back at the next election but it won’t be labour.

@Dairyisclosed Do you think the people you know who are under 25
are representative of the wider community? I know a whole lot of people for whom the cost of transport is a barrier to education and work so not everyone is as lucky as the people you know.

Free bus travel for those on JSA would be ridiculous. Yet another thing that makes it easier to be on benefits than working on a minimum wage job. People on JSA already get free housing, free council tax, free prescriptions and free dental care. What is the incentive to take a minimum wage cleaning or shop job if you are going to get yet another freebie for sitting around doing nothing. Free travel to and from interviews for the unemployed would be much more sensible.

@PaisUSM they represent either the majority by a small margin or a very large minority. Why should they get free transport just because other people their age can't afford it? That's the problem with this country. Oh, some people can't afford health care, let's give it for free for everyone! What? Some people cannot afford to educate their children? Let's make if free for everyone. The end result is that the state services are really shit and taxes are so disgustingly high that most people can't afford to pay for private. If you are concerned about poor under 25s then you should be focusing on helping them in particular, not everyone who fits on their demographic.

People on JSA already get free housing, free council tax, free prescriptions and free dental care.

How would you propose people pay for housing and health care if they are on JSA then?

Everyone has to pay something towards council tax now, even people on benefits. My DD had to pay £800 a year in council tax when she shared a house with students (who were exempt) and was working in a nmw job.

Ooft, you don't agree with free health care or free education? That's quite a radical stance. Doubt I'll be able to convince you of the benefits of free transport with such right wing views.

I think there are better ways of spending that £1.4 billion than by further subsidising the urban classes.

Those on JSA do not get free council tax, any person of working age has to pay at least 15% if the council tax demand

It is a bit of a catch22

The more people use buses, the more buses there will be.

Over 50% of car journeys are for less than 4 miles

Well I see most teenagers being given a car by mummy and daddy the day they turn 17. God forbid the little darlings should walk, cycle or use public transport. And no, plenty of young adults in their early 20s earn a bundle of money.

Because they get paid less.

Only if they're in a job that pays hourly at NMW.

Over 50% of car journeys are for less than 4 miles

That's not really relevant when you consider it's just over miles from where I live into the shops and that's a 30 minute bus journey. Plus, you know, having to time it with when the bus is going to show up vs what time you have to be at your destination for.. Time is a much more important consideration for many people than the mileage of the journey.

just over 2* miles

It depends on how you use your time during the journey I suppose. I catch up on twitter, watch Netflix, and get an hour's walking as part of my commute which saves me on gym or exercise time later. I walk to the shops and get some strength training carrying it all home.

A lot of car journeys could be replaced by walking - I have a colleague who can see her house from her work and drives home. Probably know about 5 who live less than 10 minutes away - madness to drive in my eyes. So much is bound up in prestige - people actually sneer at me when they find out I get the bus which I find hysterical.

Though I wouldn't be walked 2 miles and then trundling home with the family shop, so I do realise that isn't practical for everyone.

Depends where the under 25 lives.

A free bus pass would be a chocolate teapot in areas that don’t have busses. Regardless of cost.

That's like any policy though, isn't it? If there's free swimming for kids it's not much use if you don't have a swimming pool. Don't think it's an argument for city kids not to have access to buses though.

I used to get the bus to work in London from the age of 21. I was earning £30k in those days (quite a long time ago!).
The thought of having a free bus pass funded by council taxes - paid by many people earning a lot less than me - would have been laughable.

I like the idea of any initiative which improves bus travel in rural areas though. I now live in a rural area with very poor bus services and the nearest train stations are 20 minutes drive away. This is despite being only 1 hour from London. Everyone around here drives. Mostly 4x4s. The idea that young people would use the bus if only it was free - sadly it wouldn't happen!!