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.

Brandish, it’s relevant in my area as driving takes longer than walking, people just sit in traffic queues and drive literally slower than walking speed. If theses drivers got onto a bus then traffic flow would increase

Paris I don't think the country bumpkins should fund it though.

And of course it's only car drivers who use the roads. Its not like everything we buy is transported by road at some stage??

This is a ridiculous idea. But hardly a surprise that Corbyn is shaking his magical money tree again rather than actually focusing on items of importance which can viably be achieved.

The money raised from road tax will fund free buses.

ANd they will borrow £££ for road infrastructure.

SO robbing Peter to pay Paul? Or am I missing something?

It may not be perfect, but as a group under 25s are probably in far more need of free bus travel than pensioners.

I expect they'll do away with Freedom passes for the over 65s and the disabled in order to fund this scheme. I wouldn't put anything past this shitty government.

The vast majority
You’re missing the fact that there is no such tax as road tax...

But apart from living in the 1930s no you’re not missing a thing 😂😂😂

Spangles they have just advices that bus passes for those claiming or eligible to claim state pension will remain

You need a decent bus service first. Othersise rural dwellers end up subsidising urban dwellers transport. So it won’t get my vote.

Years ago the city I lived in introduced really low fares, I mean a few pennies, and it was fantastic. The buses were full, less traffic on the roads. New council elected and we returned to empty buses and traffic congestion and air pollution. Maybe a reasonable charge would be good. I know where I live now the buses are really expensive and kids all seem to get driven to school because a bus pass for a term is over £200 and if you've got 2 or 3 kids that is serious money for most families.

from the guardian:

"Under 25s would have free bus travel under a Labour government, the party said, proposing a scheme that would be paid for by ring-fenced cash arising from road tax."

and

"Labour said the funds would use about a fifth of the income from vehicle excise duty revenues, forecast to be £6.7bn in 2021, which is currently allocated to road building."

"The party said it would widen the hypothecation and use the pledge of the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, for a £250bn National Transformation Fund to pay for road building, to be paid for by government borrowing."

www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/apr/11/labour-announces-plan-for-under-25s-to-have-free-bus-travel

When free child fares were introduced in London, the next year bus fares for adults were increased for the first time in several years. Children would travel one stop instead of walking, not good for tackling obesity.

When free OAP bus passes were introduced across the UK, bus companies started to withdraw more services as the income loss was not fully made up.

Schools and nurseries are not being fully funded for the increase in the number of hours to 30 for pre-school children. They are not being adequately funded for the extension of free school meals either, if what I have heard is correct.

So just extending free bus travel could lead to service cuts. Better to charge a simple low fare (say no more than £1 per journey). Use any additional public money to fund extra services, such as to rural areas and evening times.

It’s a ridiculous idea, but since Corbyn doesn’t have the purse strings does it really matter ?

Neither of my children (21 &. 23) need free bus passes. DS2 could’ve done with one through uni but he’s about to graduate and has a job set up so that’s passed now.

DS1 would see this a bad way to spend money. It wouldn’t make him want to vote for Labour at all.

I agree with reduced fares for students (this already exists in London), a universal free entitlement is rediculous though.

Why do they need cheap travel? Much like the young persons rail card that went up to 30!! Seriously I know some 20 something's who are on £70k and some 40 year olds who earn minimum wage I don't agree with it being purely based on age

Bad idea.

According to the Guardian:

"The shadow transport secretary, Andy McDonald, said the funding would provide an incentive for councils to bring services back into public ownership; companies often chose to operate only the most profitable routes, leaving councils to fund the less popular rural routes that were still a key lifeline for communities."

If that is the case, why not incentivise councils by promising more central funding for less profitable routes? It sounds as though they don't know whether they want to help under 25s, reduce pollution or improve rural bus services.

I'd love just to have a bus service. It'd make such a difference to my teens.