Labour: Free bus travel for all under-25s
It could save them £1,000 a year
BUS travel will be free for the under-25s under Labour, Jeremy Corbyn will vow today.
It could save them up to £1,000 a year, he says.
Labour estimates it would cost £1.4billion a year, paid for by cash ring-fenced from vehicle excise duty.
Mr Corbyn will say: “Young people deserve a break. Nearly eight years of Tory austerity have hit their incomes, their chance to buy a house and their career opportunities. Free bus travel will make a huge difference.”
Labour would fund the scheme for councils that bring in bus franchising or move to public ownership of bus services. Mr Corbyn hopes it will help a move to council-owned bus firms that could save £276million a year. Shadow Transport Secretary Andy McDonald said: “For too long, private bus firms have run our services for profit not people.” Transport Minister Nusrat Ghani claimed Labour has “no real ability to deliver” the scheme and that it could cost up to £13billion a year. But Labour insisted it was fully costed.