No free bus passes for under 22s, says goverment
A proposed plan to trial free bus passes for under-22s in England will not be implemented because it is currently “not affordable”, the government has said.
The trial was one of a series of trials suggestions Put forward by the Transport Committee, a cross-party group of MPs. A report published this August recommended increasing access to jobs and education.
In its response published on Friday, the government said there was no money for such a scheme in the current spending review period, which runs until 2028/2029.
Responding to the government’s decision, committee chair Ruth Cadbury accused the Department for Transport of being “lacking ambition”.
“Throughout our research we have heard about the consequences of poor connectivity,” said Labor MP Cadbury.
“Young people are unable to get their first jobs or have to make exhausting journeys to get to school or university. The elderly and disabled are feeling lonely and depressed, and the high street is starving for customers.”
“It is hard to shake the feeling that an opportunity to improve services could be missed, especially in rural and underserved communities.”
The announcement of the government’s plans for under-22 bus travel comes in the same week that the Bus Services Bill became law.
This legislation, welcomed by the committee, will impose stricter obligations on operators who want to cancel certain services and give local authorities more control, including franchising.
Transport Minister Heidi Alexander said the new law “will make it easier for local leaders to take control of their buses” and “puts passengers first.”
Cadbury said the new law was “positive and necessary” but could not be the “final word”.
Some of the other suggestions put forward by the committee were well received.
These included suggestions to spread the financing over a longer period of time and take rural needs into account.
But other action points, including calls for free travel for under-22s as well as a minimum service level for buses, were rejected.
The government argued that “significant differences in demographics, needs and geography would make ‘minimum service levels’ very difficult to enforce nationally, whilst also ensuring value for money”.
While the number of bus trips has decreased in the UK in recent years, it has been stated that fares have increased faster than inflation.
The committee found this to be a barrier to opportunity and growth in some areas.
Bus passengers spend £39.1bn with local businesses each year, according to KPMG research.
But experts told the Transport Committee that the bus sector’s contribution to the economy will fall by around £8.9bn between 2011 and 2023.
“The current deregulated structure of the bus industry may encourage commercial operators to ‘prioritise’ less profitable routes, often leaving vulnerable communities without service,” the committee’s report said.
