No free bus passes for under 22s, says government

3 days ago Share Save Katy Austin, transport correspondent and Emer Moreau, business reporter Share Save

Getty Images The number of bus journeys taken in England has dropped in recent years

A proposed plan to trial free bus passes for under-22s in England will not go ahead as it is "unaffordable" at the moment, the government has said. The trial was one of a number of recommendations put forward by the Transport Committee, a cross-party group of backbench MPs, in a report this August - with the suggestion it would boost access to jobs and education. In its response, published on Friday, the government said no money was available for such a scheme during the current spending review period, which runs until 2028/2029. Responding to the government's decision, committee chair Ruth Cadbury accused the Department for Transport of "lacking in ambition".

"Throughout our inquiry we heard about the consequences of poor connectivity," Labour MP Cadbury said. "Young people unable to get their first jobs or taking exhausting journeys to reach school or college. Older and disabled people feeling isolated and depressed, and high streets starved of customers." "It is hard to shake the feeling that an opportunity may be missed, particularly to improve services in rural and underserved communities." Since January 2022, everyone in Scotland aged between five and 22 has been entitled to free bus travel. Gracie Moore is 22 and lives in Slough. She spends £120 a month to get the bus to and from work every day. Gracie said the government's decision was "disappointing". "It would have been so beneficial, considering that under 22s are so negatively impacted by inflation," she said. "Things like buying our first house or affording bills are already difficult, so this would have taken the pressure off for us."

'It would have been so beneficial'

Gracie Moore Gracie Moore spends £120 a month on bus fares