Public Transport: Concessions

(asked on 13th July 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will hold discussions with Transport for London on reviewing the planned end to free travel for under 18s in London.


Answered by
Rachel Maclean Portrait
Rachel Maclean
This question was answered on 16th July 2020

The £1.6 billion Extraordinary Funding and Financing Agreement to enable Transport for London (TfL) to continue operating services contained a series of conditions to facilitate safe travel on public transport in London, including the temporary suspension of free travel for under 18s. These conditions were agreed by the Mayor of London and Deputy Mayor for Transport.

Before the Covid-19 crisis, around a third of journeys in the morning peak period were made by young people travelling to school and many of these journeys were less than 2km in length. The temporary suspension of free travel for under 18s will help to reduce demand for public transport so that those who need to use it can do so safely.

The Department is working closely with TfL and the Department for Education on how the temporary suspension can be operationalised. Any child eligible for free home to school travel under the Education Act 1996 will still receive this. The Department is also completing an Equality Impact Assessment, which will consider whether there are further categories of children that should receive free transport.

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