Call for free bus trip to help under -22 in work

According to a report by MPs, under -22 in England should be given a free bus pass to help work and education.

The number of bus trips taken in England has fallen in recent years, while fare has increased rapidly than inflation, it has been said.

This was a barrier to opportunity and growth in some areas, MPs found, recommended a pilot plan of free bus trip at any time of the day for Under -22.

The Transport Department stated that it was “providing £ 1BN in multi-year funds to improve the credibility and frequency of bus services across the country”.

Since January 2022, everyone in Scotland is at the age of five to 22 years. Free bus travel entitled.

The transport committee report said that the number of bus passenger trips in England declined from 4.6 billion in 2009 to 3.6 billion in 2024.

There are no bus services in some small cities and rural areas, or buses that run so many times that “they do not meaning to the transport options of people meaningfully”, said this.

A 2019 study found that some 57% of Jobers lived in areas where they could not reach the center of employment within 45 minutes by bus.

“High bus fares and limited local provisions can seriously restrict access to education, employment and other opportunities of young people,” the report said.

19 -year -old Alex Mustafa says that she uses the bus all the time because she cannot drive for health and financial reasons and will benefit from a free bus pass.

“It will also help poor youth like themselves who rely on public transport, which is just without worrying about the cost for better plans for social connections without worrying about how expensive it is because it is to go out,” he said.

Alex says that he has been left waiting for the bus before an hour and is late to work and missed social programs due to canceled buses.

He said, “It is very difficult to live life according to the plan when you have to plan around an incredible program. Trains are sometimes better, but they also come with high cost and they are more limited with location,” he said.

Roman Dibane, Chief Executive Officer of Youth Charity Rise Up, said that it gives job interviews and training to young people at all times as they cannot charge bus fare.

“Free bus pass for Under -22 will remove a huge barrier, open access to jobs, trainees and training – especially in communities where the opportunity is not at your door.”

The 21-year-old Dylan is a student in the Lewis-Karser city plan and was also standing as a green party candidate for the Walkle ward in the local elections in May 2024.

He told the BBC that they use the bus very much to travel around the Sheffield as driving is very expensive.

“A free bus pass would mean that I can work from university and without paying £ 10 in a week, which adds significantly as a student on a low budget,” he said.

“That cost is enhanced when buses are considered to be in other job opportunities and other places, changing like hospitals.”

Dialon feels that there is a need to discuss more around “to make transport accessible, inexpensive and reliable”.

He said, “A part of it will support those who often do the cost-wise to do so, such as young people,” they said.

“We have seen how it promotes young people using buses in Scotland, and it makes sense only to expand that policy.”

According to KPMG research, bus passengers spend £ 39.1 billion in local businesses every year.

But experts told the Transport Committee that between 2011 and 2023, the contribution of the bus sector to the economy declined by about 8.9 billion pounds.

The report stated: “The current deregulated nature of the bus region can encourage commercial operators to” deprooritize “less profitable routes, often release weak communities without a service.”

The committee heard that the older people were particularly disturbed by using the bus if they feel insecure at the bus stop.

The report recommended improvement in bus stops and shelters such as the screen shows real -time information.

Jane Bishop is the Chief Executive Officer of North North Norfolk Community Transport, a charity that provides low-cost dial-a-ride services in the local area. She says that for some people bus services mean the difference between being able to live in their homes or being able to go to assisted living.

“Most of our passengers are big people, but not all,” he told the BBC. “Many people, we are the only people they see every week.”

“They become friends with other people on their path, so it is a great tool to combat loneliness,” said Ms. Bishop.

But, he said, “This is a lottery whether there is a community transport in your area”.

Bus rented cap outside London was increased to £ 3 last year.

The committee said that the rent cap was the most beneficial for the people in rural areas, as they had to travel long or use several buses for a trip.

But this report was important for the short -term nature of money for bus services, saying that he has “obstructed the ability of local authorities to improve services”.

“Five -year -old settlements in other transport sectors such as rail and strategic road networks have enabled more certainty and promoted a strategic plan,” said this. “Bus services require a similar commitment in the most widely used form of public transport.”

Bus services develop in England, which means they are the responsibility of local authorities. Individual councils may choose to give concessions for Under -22.

The local government association (LGA) welcomed the committee’s recommendation to abolish “stop-start funding” for buses.

A spokesperson said: “Bus services provide an essential way of public transport in local communities, which depend by millions of people.

“Services require more work to attract them back in buses to ensure them to be sustainable for our communities. It is difficult to recover from the stop-start funding risk, protection and when money is found to lose travelers.”

Liberal Democrat MP Steff Aquarone, who seated the Transport Committee, said the report shows the need for “a separate model for rural public transport”.

He said that local councils cannot give a lot of subsidy to bus fares like other countries, but “If you do buses at the time when people want to travel, they are going to places what they want to go, people will use them”.

Additional reporting by Chris Bramwell.