Good Idea Or Do Some See Problems?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10191869/Children-go-free-on-buses.html

[woofgang]

Well the complaint about older people doing it is that it fills the busses up and stops farepaying passengers getting on....I don't see why children shouldn't have school bus passes for school journeys the same as we did.

[LazyGun]

Seems like quite a good idea, in principle. I believe it is pretty popular in Londinium, where it has been around for a while, although what works in London may not automatically work elsewhere....

Only problems I can foresee is a political one - at the moment, all the talk is of clawing back or reducing or means testing benefits because we are all in it together and we need austerity,so to introduce a universal benefit like this runs counter to the current political narrative ...

It might even help to get rid of these embarassing for the bus companies news stories we see occasionally, where a driver refuses passage to some kid because they do not have the fare on them

[New Judge]

As the article says, children have been travelling free on London's buses since 2005. This measure was introduced by Mayor Ken Livingstone and was, we were told, designed to enable children "to take advantage of the cultural and educational facilities the capital has to offer".

In fact it enables children to use buses as mobile shelters and meeting places - Places to "hang out" with each other. People who used to take the bus to avoid children behaving badly in the street now have to walk the streets to avoid children behaving badly on the buses

[Huderon]

I have no idea which parts of London you travel by bus on, New Judge, but I haven't seen people walking (which is good exercise anyway) rather than use the bus because of badly behaved children. Round our way some people may well walk during the times when children are travelling to and from school, but during school holidays and outside of those times during term, people still catch the bus.

My own experience is that the children, during term time, can be a bit rowdy, but beyond that they seem to behave reasonably well. The local schools make sure there are teachers out in the main part of town and at the mainline and tube stations before and after school, and the children are disciplined if they are seen to be causing trouble.

[Huderon]

To answer the original question, I can't see any problems with it, but then the free travel on for children has been in place here for the best part of 10 years.

[mikey4444]

I think that in principle its a good idea. But where is the money going to come from to fund it ? We face losing our Libraries, Policemen, Firemen, etc in these cuts. Not sure if free bus travel for anyone can survive for much longer.

[boxtops]

The children round here who are in school go free anyway. What needs looking at is the 16-year ceiling - children betwen 16-18 in school have to pay about £10 a week for their fares, even though the Govt proposes that everyone shall stay in education until they're 18.

Free bus passes aren't going to stop people driving their children about.

[Just-Jude]

Will they be allowed to eat chocolate on the bus?

[boxtops]

They're not on a school trip, jude :-)

[Svejk]

Lol @ jude

[bundleone]

I think schoolchildren should certainly get free travel to and from school, and at least half fare for other journeys up to 18 years, They cannot go out and earn their own living but are expected to pay full fare and also buy adult size clothing and full price for everything while being treated as children by the government.

[emmie]

children already do here i believe,

[emmie]

NJ, not sure they need a bus to behave badly.. was on the receiving end of some pretty nasty behaviour from three clods the other day...