Source · Select Committees · Transport Committee
Recommendation 26
26
Rejected
Public transport is a major barrier to employment and education for young people.
Recommendation
Public transport remains a major barrier to employment for young people, especially in under-served areas where limited services and high fares make it harder to reach college, training , entry-level jobs, or shift-based work. In some areas, transport is restricting opportunity rather than enabling it. England’s patchwork of local youth concessions contrasts with national schemes in Scotland and Wales. A coherent national approach to ensure fair access across England is essential if the Government is serious about driving economic growth, which depends on removing barriers to education, training, and employment for the next generation. (Conclusion, Paragraph 98)
Government Response Summary
The government rejects a national approach to youth concessions, citing unaffordability within the current spending review period and stating that local leaders are best placed to decide. It will gather learning from existing schemes and Transport Scotland to inform preparations for future Spending Reviews.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
The Government recognises the benefits that free travel for under-22s could bring. However, we are operating in a challenging fiscal environment and the future funding for bus services has already been allocated through the Spending Review, with no funding available for such a scheme. Expanding concessionary travel would therefore be unaffordable within this SR period without diverting funding away from maintaining current bus service levels. As with the model of bus service delivery more widely, we believe local leaders are best placed to decide on the measures which will work best in their local area. This enables local leaders to take a local approach, allowing them to target measures most appropriate for the demographic in their area. We shall continue to liaise with our colleagues at Transport Scotland to better understand the outcomes from their Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme. We are also aware of several local schemes which currently offer or have offered youth concessions for various age groups, such as those in London, Manchester, South Yorkshire and the West of England, and will seek key learnings from relevant local authorities. We will use this learning to inform our preparations for future Spending Reviews.