'Will our bus passes remain free?' – veteran campaigner calls on election winner to make travel pledge
A veteran bus campaigner is calling on the winner of the general election to pledge they will keep free bus passes for elderly and disabled passengers.
Walsall's Richard Worrall, of the National Pensioners’ Convention wants whichever party that takes office on Friday to support the scheme which allows senior citizens to travel the length and breadth of the country without paying extra.
He claims despite writing to the main contenders to ask if they will keep the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme he received no response regarding their plans for the popular travel scheme.
He also claims that Reform UK returned his letter marked with the word "refuse".
"I wrote recorded, signed for, next-day delivery to the following contenders national offices in London: Conservative, Green, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Reform last month and asked for their response by June 28.
"The only response I had was from Reform which returned my letter with said questions and a copy of the National Pensioners’ Convention election manifesto. This was recorded delivery and contained no response. The words 'refuse' were written on my original envelope
"There was no reply from any of the other parties. I therefore checked the internet and did find reference to concessionary travel and in some cases, improving the bus network in the Green, Labour and Liberal Democrat manifestos.
"I suggest that people concerned about concessionary travel and poor bus services, if they have internet skills better than mine and are interested, check out what if anything all five main contenders have to say about the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme and the bus network."
In 2014 Mr Worrall, a former Walsall mayor, delivered a 150,000-signature petition calling for the main parties to keep bus passes free for all pensioners to 10 Downing Street.
The questions Richard is asking in 2024:
1. Does your party commit to retaining the English bus pass?
2. What improvements to the scheme, if any, do you propose (e.g. including veterans in the scheme, as suggested at the last meeting of West Midlands Combined Authority's Transport Delivery, Overview & Scrutiny Committee?
3. What do you propose to do to improve the bus network nationally which has been in decline for several years?
The Express & Star asked the same questions to the parties. Replies have come from Labour and the Lib Dems:
Labour:
"Yes. Labour is committed to retaining both concessionary bus travel and the bus pass. Currently there is nothing in our manifesto specific to the bus pass.
"We would allow every community to take back control of local bus services. Our plan would create and save up to 1,300 routes and allow 250 million more passenger journeys. We would deliver better buses faster by ensuring franchising can be done in under two years."
Liberal Democrats:
“Under the Conservatives almost a quarter of bus routes have been cut in the last ten years outside London, despite buses being one of the most accessible and affordable modes of public transport.
“Liberal Democrats would boost bus services by giving local authorities more powers to franchise services, simplifying funding so that bus routes can be restored or new routes added where there is local need, especially in rural areas.
“We would also work with operators to introduce a ‘Young Person’s Bus Card, similar to the Young Person's Railcard, giving 19 to 25-year-olds a third off bus and tram fares and extending half-fares to 18-year-olds.”