Labour to pledge free bus travel
POLICY COULD SAVE YOUNG PEOPLE £1,000 IN A YEAR
LABOUR is announcing a new policy to fund free bus travel for more than 600,000 children, teenagers and adults under 25 across the North East.
The move could benefit up to 13 million young people, nationwide, helping them save up to £1,000 a year, and will be paid for using money ring-fenced from Vehicle Excise Duty.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is announcing that a future Labour government will provide funds for free travel for under 25s to local authorities who introduce bus franchising or move to public ownership of their local bus services. This will encourage local authorities to create municipallyowned bus companies.
Labour highlighted research which predicted such a change could achieve annual savings of £276m per year. Around 634,000 people aged five to 24 in the North East would become eligible for free bus travel. Children under five already travel free.
North East councils have previously attempted to gain some control over bus services by setting up a Quality Contract Scheme for the Tyne and Wear area, allowing councils to decide on fares and when services run.
But the plan, opposed by bus firms, was rejected by a board to set up to consider it.
Since then, the Government has said it will allow regional Combined Authorities to control bus services, but only if they are led by elected mayors.
Launching the policy, Mr Corbyn is expected to say: “Our policy provides help where it is most needed. On average, children, young people and households with children each have less disposable income than working age households without children. Young people also tend to be in lower paid, more insecure work, and they spend a higher proportion of their income on travel. Giving them free bus travel will make a huge difference to their lives.”
Labour says the policy will be funded through Vehicle Excise Duty revenues and would equate to 21% of VED revenue, which is forecast to be £6.7bn in 2021-22.
Conservatives accused Labour of making promises “that they have no real ability to deliver”.
Transport Minister Nusrat Ghani said: “Last election Labour promised to pay off student debt if elected and then admitted it would actually cost too much to do. Now they’re bribing young people again with yet another empty promise.”