Forum Topic

TheTfL 'deal'

Just shocking. Why do Tories hate the Freedom pass?

Stewart Jones ● 2364d8 Comments

Bizarre, because most of their voters will have them.

Ken Munn ● 2364d

"Bizarre, because most of their voters will have them."And your proof for that sweeping statement is ?

Loraine Pemberton ● 2364d

My understanding is that the suspension is only temporary and applies only at peak hours, whatever they are. You used not to be able to use it before 9:30am. Johnson, as mayor, changed that to buy votes.Buses are free at the moment to everyone because of centre-door boarding.

Susan Kelly ● 2364d

'You used not to be able to use it before 9:30am. Johnson, as mayor, changed that to buy votes.'Ah yes! The age of the 'twerly' - so now Johnson has attained his ambition of being P.M., has a majority to keep him where he is, he no longer has to make these concessions, see also free TV licences to over 75s - sprats and mackerels?

Vanessa Smith ● 2363d

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1067740/uk-general-election-poll-by-age/

Ken Munn ● 2363d

As I say, the change is temporary. I imagine that the idea is to stop retired people from using public transport at peak times to keep it from being overcrowded.I haven't been on a bus in 8 weeks or a tube in 9.

Susan Kelly ● 2363d

Keeping pensioners off public transport during rush-hour is at least sensible in terms of 'elf and safety.Suspending free travel for under 18s while trying to persuade teachers and parents to get kids back to school...can someone explain to me the logic in that?

Birna Helgadottir ● 2363d

If they run the same number trains as before but only a fraction of the number of people are using them, then I'd expect them not to be anything like as crowded and unsafe as we imagine, just more expensive for TfL to run. Reducing the service during lockdown to match the fewer number of passengers made them as crowded as they were before and presumably more dangerous, and descriptions of this probably went some way to putting people off using public transport. The significant part of the deal is that, in return for supporting TfL, the government is taking seats on its Board. It's not doing that for the thousands of private companies it's financially supporting at the moment.

Peter Evans ● 2363d