Young people make less money and spend a greater share of their incomes on transit than their older peers. Labour thinks subsidizing travel for young people could be a boost to young people and the economy.
Jeremy Corbin's Labour party has proposed free bus transit in the UK for people under 25. "The party said local authorities who moved to introduce public ownership of bus services or franchising would be given the funds to provide free travel. The scheme would incentivise councils to create municipally owned bus companies," Jessica Elgot report for The Guardian.
The plan, which would be funded by the vehicle excise tax, would encourage municipalities to take back control of privatized bus services. In a video promoting the policy, Corbin argues that young people tend to earn less, spend a higher percent of their income on transport, and be in less secure work, so subsidizing their travel could make a "real difference."
"Passenger bus journeys are at their lowest level for a decade, with the average number of bus trips made by young people under 21 down by almost 40%," Elgot reports. Labour points to Tory control of the government during much of that time as a cause, but this phenomenon has also been seen in the United States.
FULL STORY: Labour announces plan for under 25s to have free bus travel
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Journal of the American Planning Association