Questions & Answers
Q1
Partial Answer
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Context
Young people in Rebecca Smith's constituency are concerned about the increase from a £2 bus fare cap to a £3 bus fare cap under Labour. Some advocate for free bus travel until age 22.
Young people in my constituency, many of whom have to travel long distances from rural areas, are concerned about the cost of bus fares, especially since the increase from the Conservative £2 bus fare cap to a £3 bus fare cap under Labour. In fact, many are supportive of the Transport Committee's recommendation that bus travel should be free until the age of 22, to enable easy access to education and work. What response does the Minister have for those young people?
The hon. Member is right to raise concerns about the affordability of bus fares. Unfortunately, the previous Government talked about maintaining the cap but allocated absolutely no funding to doing so. That is why we have introduced the £3 cap, but we are also supporting local transport authorities with bus funding and enabling them to make decisions about how they want to use the funding, including to provide lower fares for young people.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific recommendation of free travel until age 22 was not addressed
Supporting Local Transport Authorities With Bus Funding And Enabling Them To Make Decisions About How They Want To Use The Funding
Response accuracy
Q2
Partial Answer
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Context
The SL1 tram-train bus link was cut under the Tory Government. South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard is working to bring buses back under public control.
On the doorstep, at my constituency meeting last November, and when I am out and about in Stocksbridge, Deepcar, Oughtibridge and Wharncliffe Side, time and again my constituents tell me about the urgent need to bring back the SL1 tram-train bus link, after it was cut under the Tory Government. This route must be the cornerstone of the fantastic work that our South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard is doing to bring our buses back under public control. Will the Minister work with me, South Yorkshire mayoral combined authority and Sheffield city council to reinstate and improve a tram link bus, like the SL1, as soon as possible, and to identify funding for delivering a pilot project as soon as possible?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right to advocate on behalf of her constituents living in South Yorkshire. It is almost as if the Conservatives have forgotten that they oversaw 300 million miles of bus route cuts. I am sure that the Minister with responsibility for buses, my hon. Friend the Member for Wakefield and Rothwell (Simon Lightwood), would be happy to meet her to discuss further the plans that she is working on with the South Yorkshire Mayor.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific commitment to reinstate and improve the SL1 tram-train bus link was not made
Meeting To Discuss The Plans
Response accuracy