Richard Baum

At this morning’s meeting of Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority (GMPTA), Labour presented a motion praising the government;s extension of the concessionary fare scheme which gives OAPs free bus travel. Lib Dems wanted the motion to be less sycophantic and much more challenging to a government which has presided over bus fares for young people climbing rapidly. When the Lib Dems proposed an amendment calling for free bus travel for young people now, Labour voted it down.

I am happy that OAPs travel for free on buses. The more people who travel for free on public transport, the better. So why not young people as well? Young people have no access to private transport of their own (except through parents), and probably a lot less money than OAPs. They also have to travel to school each day, in Manchester that’s at 70p per journey. And lots of people in my ward have to get two buses to schools in Bury. That’s £1.40 each way, or £14.00 a week just getting to and from school. It isn’t right.

Of course it will cost money to make the journeys free. But if money can be found for white elephants like ID cards then it can be found for real schemes that will make a real difference, like this one.  Young people need to grow to love public transport if they’re going to carry on using it as adults. They don’t need to think that it’s expensive.

I join Labour in congratulating the government for their work in giving OAPs free travel. But serious governments don’t rest on their laurels and bask in praise. They keep progressing. That’s what we challenged Labour to do today by calling for an expansion of the scheme. Sadly, they said no, and so children continue to pay over the odds to get to school on the bus.

Rick