No free travel for teenagers

THE Government has snubbed a bid to offer free bus travel to Oldham’s teenagers.

Both former Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon and new transport minister Sadiq Khan have told local transport bosses that there are no plans to make funds available for free travel for under 16s and those in higher education.

A trial began in Barnsley in April offering teenagers free travel between 9am and 9pm on weekdays and all day at weekends but at the same time, Greater Manchester’s youngsters were forced to accept an increase in their concessionary fares to 80p.

Former Oldham Council leader David Jones, a member of Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority (GMITA) who opposed the rise at the time is now asking the authority to press for free fares here.

But Councillor Ian McDonald, chairman of the authority’s policy committee, said: “We put forward the idea of 50p fares for teenagers to Geoff Hoon and he was clear that the Government would not finance it.”

And Authority chairman Councillor Keith Whitmore added: “I spoke to Sadiq Khan last week and he said that the government still had no intention now or in the near future of paying for this.

“But we will keep lobbying for it.”