Axe free travel for pensioners, and launch travelcard for all

John Disney Nottingham Business School Nottingham

02 February 2018

The concessionary travel scheme for older people and the disabled should be replaced by a UK-wide multi-modal travelcard for all, with extra discounts for particular groups, says John Disney

The bus industry is in crisis. Passenger numbers are plumetting at an even faster rate than the strike-hit railways whilst more operators either cease trading or cut back to core urban areas. Even the offer of free bus travel cannot tempt older people onto cold, unreliable, uncomfortable, worn-out buses for which they may have a long, cold wait.

The DfT study on the impact of the free bus pass quantifies the qualitative research that I have undertaken showing that the scheme offers...