An end to concessionary travel for older and disabled Londoners?

 The following motion was passed by a large majority at the   London Federation Of Green Parties AGM today.

LONDON FEDERATION EMERGENCY MOTION

London Green Party notes with alarm proposals that have been made by the government, demanding an end to concessionary travel for older and disabled Londoners, as well as children of school-age, as a condition for further subsidies for TfL operations due to the revenue shortfall caused by the pandemic. We strongly urge the Mayor of London, to resist these demands. It is vitally important that London shows a level of solidarity with those, already amongst the hardest hit by this year’s unprecedented events, who have made life-long contributions to London’s economy and many of whom now find themselves in impoverished circumstances, relying on their state pensions.

Pensioners, disabled people and older people rely on public transport to access services, to travel to health appointments, to care for grandchildren, providing a vital service to working parents, and, importantly, to offer their expertise and time by volunteering. Cutting concessionary travel passes and increasing fares overall would send an entirely wrong message to Londoners. Public transport is an essential lifeline - without access to it the health hazards associated with pollution and inactivity would increase. Free travel has been shown to have considerable health benefits for older people by encouraging them to remain physically active, with associated savings for the NHS https://www.transportforall.org.uk/news/the-health-benefits-of-bus-passes. We ask that you continue to call on central government to provide adequate funding to preserve London Transport services and fares as they are, and continue to show solidarity with some of the most vulnerable Londoners..