A proposal to issue Concessionary Bus Passes to Young People aged 14 to 19 years in full time education 23/1

What are we trying to achieve? To encourage Central Government to celebrate the success of concessionary fares for the over 60’s and now to extend it, to include young people between the ages of 14 & 19 in full-time education. Why? To highlight the importance of social interaction for young people To encourage the Government commitment to Children & Young People To provide full Student access to the recently announced Diploma for 14 to 19 year olds, offering them a more practical, hands-on experience as well as classroom learning To indicate to our Young People that we do value their contribution to society and are prepared to provide practical support

This is Ann She is 62 years old and lives in Stokenham Ann is retired & lives with her husband in their bungalow, they own three cars She has a joint income with her husband of over £800 per week Ann can travel by bus to Kingsbridge to go shopping, for free Ann can travel to Plymouth by bus for a fun day out, for free In fact Ann can travel by bus anywhere in England for free and she really enjoys ‘getting around’ in the bus Ann has a Concessionary Bus Pass

This is Alex She is 15 years old and lives in Stokenham Alex lives with her Mum and Dad and is a schoolgirl. She is studying hard for her GCSE examinations She has £10 per week pocket money Alex can travel to Kingsbridge by school bus but cannot stay for after school activities unless she pays £1.50 bus fare to get home Alex can travel to Plymouth by bus to meet friends for £4.30 return Alex is free to travel the UK but always at a cost In fact Alex is prevented by cost to enhance her education, suffers restrictions in her social life, sporting activities and artistic flair. Alex is a gifted ballet dancer. Alex does not have a Concessionary Bus Pass

This is Annabel Annabel is 17 years old & lives at home with her parents and sister Alex. She is a schoolgirl attending sixth form College and studying for her ‘A’ levels. She received £20 per week pocket money Annabel has been accepted by two Universities but is struggling with her subjects. To stay on after school for extra tuition and miss her school bus home, costs Annabel £2.30. Annabel has to pay adult fares on the bus. Her return journey to Plymouth to meet friends costs £6.40 Annabel does not have a Concessionary Bus Pass

Mum and Dad This is Alex and Annabel’s Mum and Dad They are both in full-time employment They seem to spend a lifetime running around in their cars taking the girls either to or from school in Kingsbridge. Alex dances at Evening School in Totnes. Annabel attends Friday night sports evenings in Kingsbridge. The combined car mileage is estimated in excess of 100 miles per week. During working hours/school holidays combined bus fares for the girls is estimated at several hundred pounds per year. The provision of Concessionary Bus Passes for their two daughters would both reduce their carbon footprint and their family expenses.

This is Colin Colin is 16 years old and lives with his Mum, a single parent, in rented accommodation in Stokenham His Mum has suffered from MS for the past 4 years Colin has acted as her Carer and has not seen his Dad, who lives in Torbay, for the past three years The family income is approx £200 per week The return bus journey for Colin to visit his Dad in Torquay is approx £10.00 Colin has to return home from School on the School Bus as he cannot afford the fare home Colin has to visit the Kingsbridge Supermarket to shop. Bus fare £3.50 Colin does not have a Concessionary Bus Pass

This is Me My name is Cllr John Baverstock working as the Member Champion for Children and Young People in the South Hams District Council. I have a Concessionary Bus Pass. The carbon footprint savings alone, should justify the extension of the Bus Pass The benefits derived by the over 60’s with their Concessionary Bus Passes should be extended to include our young people. We must recognise the disadvantages caused to children in not providing them with a Bus Pass, thus depriving them of public transport facilities. We must act now and press Government to provide children between the ages of 14 and 19 years who are in full time education, with a Bus Pass. Finance for School transport for this age group is provided by the County Councils. The issue of Concessionary Passes would immediately reduce that expense. The cost to Government would still be high but I feel we owe it to our younger generation. These young people are our support for the future and that of our Country. Let us show them we care for them & don’t just criticise. Let’s provide them with the freedom to travel that a Concessionary Bus Pass would provide.

What Happens Next? We need to build local support to impress upon Government the importance of providing a fully funded concessionary fare scheme for young people in full-time education The Sustainable Communities Act might well provide the opportunity for communities, including young people, to canvas for change In the Meantime? The South Hams District Council intend to raise this issue to a very high profile by working with our neighbours and with the elected Members of the Youth Parliament. Devon County Council and the Devon Children’s Trust are working to implement a pilot study in the South Hams to identify the various access needs of young people and the effectiveness of the existing transport infrastructure. The County Council have appointed a Transport and Access Coordinator who will bring greater coherence to the existing transport systems. Meanwhile ! Alex, Annabel and Colin and many other young people will not see any change.