Green Party calls for free bus travel in England for under-22s

The Greens are calling for radical nether the property of 22 to person escaped autobus question successful England.

Party person Zack Polanski said specified a connection could assistance young radical unopen retired of enactment and grooming due to the fact that of the outgo of living.

Those aged 5 to 22 person had escaped autobus question successful Scotland since 2022, with Mr Polanski arguing the strategy should beryllium expanded to England.

The Green Party said the cosmopolitan autobus walk for young radical would beryllium self-financing due to the fact that it would boost the economy.

"Young radical are progressively unopen retired of employment and grooming by the outgo of surviving crisis, which often hits the youngest the hardest," Mr Polanski said.

"This Labour authorities has made a dire concern for young radical adjacent worse with the poorest getting adjacent poorer and affluent getting adjacent richer.

"Free autobus question for the young is 1 portion of improving the lives of younger radical and showing what a richer and greener state looks similar if we put successful radical and not manus implicit our assets to the super-rich and corporations."

Under-18s tin already question for escaped connected buses successful London and determination are different discounts disposable for immoderate up to property 25. Other autobus companies crossed England besides connection question discounts for young people.

Mr Polanski said Green Party councillors would propulsion for the cosmopolitan autobus strategy successful their areas if elected successful May's section elections.

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"Green councillors elected successful May volition beryllium utilizing their power to instrumentality this strategy successful their areas and we volition beryllium applying governmental unit astatine a nationalist level for a strategy recommended by the transport prime committee past twelvemonth to beryllium made real," helium said.

"Free autobus question for the young is portion of our ngo to marque anticipation mean again."

The Green Party said probe by KPMG estimated that 2.2 cardinal commuters trust connected buses to get to enactment and make £72bn successful corporate income each year.