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From: The Socialist issue 942, 29 March 2017: NHS: protest, strike, occupy to win

Search site for keywords: South Yorkshire - Yorkshire - Pensioners - Travel - Disabled - Transport - Sheffield

South Yorkshire Freedom Riders celebrate three years of fighting

Freedom riders protest in Barnsley 20 March photo Phil King (Click to enlarge)

Phil King, Sheffield South Socialist Party

South Yorkshire Freedom Riders celebrated our three-year anniversary on 27 March. We came together to fight against cuts to free train travel in South Yorkshire for pensioners and disabled people. Since then, by demonstrating and organising mass 'freedom rides' on trains and refusing to pay, we have won free travel for the disabled and half fare for pensioners!

There was a great turnout at the rally at Barnsley interchange, with 70 people attending. 40 boarded the train to come through to Sheffield and at the rally outside Midland station around 80 people turned up to hear some passionate speakers.

We celebrated but also looked ahead - South Yorkshire passenger transport has the money to give free train travel back to pensioners. They underspent by £2 million last year and are predicted to underspend by £1.2 million this year. That's why we'll keep on fighting - for free travel for pensioners and disabled people in South Yorkshire and beyond!

You can sign our petition for free local transport for pensioners and disabled people everywhere in the UK here.

Sharron Milsom reports:

It was a great day with an excellent turnout. Over 100 took part. Pensioner and disabled members of the Freedom Riders campaign, plus other trade unionists and local people.

After a rally with trade unionists outside Barnsley interchange we made our presence felt at the railway station. The air filled with chants of "What do we want? Free train travel. When do we want it? Now!" and verses of "We shall not, we shall not be stopped... We are riding on the freedom train. We shall not be stopped!"

Our free train travel was taken away to save only £329,000, and our bus travel limited for only £300,000. Each costed little more than £1 per pass holder per year. Much of this South Yorkshire Passenger Transport has finished up paying anyway when we won our victory nearly three years ago.

Each year since then the budget for concessionary travel has been underspent - by £500,000 in 2015, then £2 million last year, and a predicted £1.2 million this year. This is enough to restore all the free train and bus travel pensioners used to enjoy for several years!

Instead the councillors are simply adding this money to reserves, more than offsetting the Tories' grant cuts, as they are unwilling to set a no-cuts budget.

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Finance appeal

The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.

The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.

The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.

The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.
When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.