Many readers of this blog, and of the former Musings from Medway blog, will be aware of its campaign to get the Medway Freedom Pass locally.
The Labour Medway Freedom Pass will see the introduction of free bus travel for young people in education.
Despite the Medway Conservative vote against even this minor measure, Labour will be moving an amendment to the budget on Thursday 25th February, to call on the administration to fund free bus travel starting in September 2010.
It has also been confirmed that the cost of the scheme is nowhere near the £3 million claimed, and is in fact considerably less, echoing his inaccurate claim in previous years that half price bus fares would cost £9 million.
Kent Conservatives introduced a version of the Freedom Pass several years ago. The scheme was introduced to make travel easier and more affordable for young people. The principle aims of the scheme are to:
- empower young people
- improve safety
- financially assist families
- promote healthier lifestyles
- encourage greater use of sustainable transport
- reduce congestion and journey times (especially during the school runs)
- ultimately increase quality of life accross the county.
“The Tories’ record on bus services is dreadful. In the past few months alone, they’ve rushed through the design for the bus station, ignoring all the consultation results, voted against even investigating free bus travel for young people, and been censured by the national Ombudsman for their appalling policy of charging for companion bus passes for people with disabilities.”
“They also continue to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds carrying 350 children to school, mostly from the Leader and Deputy Leader’s ward, and yet only agreed to Labour’s half price bus scheme after being shamed into it. We’ll see on Thursday night whether they’ve learnt their lesson, and will get behind our proposal to make travel free for young people in full time education.”
“They also continue to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds carrying 350 children to school, mostly from the Leader and Deputy Leader’s ward, and yet only agreed to Labour’s half price bus scheme after being shamed into it. We’ll see on Thursday night whether they’ve learnt their lesson, and will get behind our proposal to make travel free for young people in full time education.”
Bus travel in Medway is dreadful. Only Labour is standing up to improve our public transport and get Medway Moving.
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You have made a mistake with this statement .
ReplyDeleteIt was in fact Medway Liberal Democrats who submitted the motion in the first place . The Labour Group just decided to jump on the bandwagon !
Andy Stamp and the Medway Team will continue to push this Campaign .
Maybe you should check minutes of Full Council Meetings before making such random statements
Anon, is indeed correct - the original motion for a 'Freedom Pass' was submitted by the Lib Dems and shared similarity with that in Kent, but it did not go far enough.
ReplyDeleteThe Medway Labour Freedom Pass would be fully subsidised which is a difference to the Lib Dem version, which was less favourable to students in education.
Either way, the Conservatives opposed any scheme of subsidy and are instead funding a very small but very expensive yellow bus programme, which only concentrates in a small number of areas.
Maybe one day those progressives in both parties can work together on a fairer bus scheme for our students. One day maybe.