Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has any plans to extend child discounts on public transport from 16 to 18 years to match the new compulsory school leaving age.

Andrew Jones

Government recognises the importance of accessible transport to all young people and, whilst there are no plans to introduce a statutory concession for young people, we are working with the sector to encourage operators to continue to improve their offers.

In the de-regulated bus market it is for operators to set their own fares. Current estimates indicate that 50% of young people aged 16 to 19 receive at least a third off standard fares.

The new Enhanced Partnership powers in the Bus Services Bill would allow local transport authorities and bus operators to agree standard ticket rules, such as eligibility for half fares across operators.