Yorkshire Youth Fight For Jobs (YFFJ) press release
The cost-of-living crisis continues to have devastating effects on workers, students, and families throughout West Yorkshire. The Labour government refuses to commit to fully funded, publicly owned, bus and transport services – YFFJ says it must.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced children aged 15 and under will benefit from free bus travel in August. YFFJ welcomes this announcement but the Labour government must go further.
Bus travel should be free for everyone, starting immediately with under 25s. Funding cuts must be reversed, and routes should receive investment and expansion, not closure. Travelling by bus shouldn’t be a chore, it should be safe, reliable, and affordable.
Both Rachel Reeves and West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin stood for election under Jeremy Corbyn’s manifesto in 2017 and 2019. It included a policy of free travel for under 25s, so why can’t this be implemented now?
Private companies shouldn’t run bus services for profit, with ever-increasing fares. Public ownership would put an end to this, and workers and service users would have a democratic say in how their public transport is run and delivered.
One YFFJ spokesperson said: “Bus services in West Yorkshire are being rapidly cut, yet private companies rake in profits from high fares – all while receiving public handouts. Infrequent buses and unreliable services make travelling by bus a dreaded task.
“Families, students, workers, and vulnerable adults should not dread having to make a bus journey, or carve out extra hours in their day just in case the bus doesn’t turn up. Taking the bus should be a cheap, comfortable, safe, and reliable way to commute around West Yorkshire.
“This is why Youth Fight For Jobs is calling for a reversal of bus service cuts, free travel for all, and a fully funded service that is publicly owned by workers and users.”
Another spokesperson said: “I have used buses for around seven years, six of those as a full-time student and then after during my search for work. Buses are an important part of my daily life, but because I use them so frequently I notice the decline in quality and increase in prices. My annual student bus ticket went up by hundreds of pounds while buses became less frequent and more likely to be late. The increase in ticket prices is only making the cost-of-living crisis worse.
“YFFJ campaigns to make buses free and publicly owned under the democratic control of workers and service users. We are met with a warm response from ordinary workers who, like us, want to fix the bus services. Buses should be run by the working class for the working class and not by corporations who hike up the prices. A fully funded bus service that reaches every corner of Britain is the first step to a truly public and effective transport system.”
