Hove mum calls for free bus travel scheme to be extended

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Families in Brighton have been benefiting from the government's Great British Summer Savings scheme which ends on August 31. 

Throughout August, 5-15 year olds have been able to travel on local buses for free, giving families "room to breathe" and helping tackle the cost of living.

Hove mother Charlie said she has been taking advantage of the bus service throughout the summer and she wants to see the scheme extended.

Charlie and her eight year old son Oscar (Image: NQ staff)

She said: "I definitely feel like it should be implemented in all half-terms and all summer holidays."

Charlie and her son Oscar, eight, have been in Hove for just under a year and have been visiting the Theatre Royal and The Level by bus.

She said: "The free buses have definitely taken some pressure off people.

"When you're a single parent and you only have one income coming in, it's a lot cheaper for you to be able to access a day out.

"It makes it a lot more accessible for families, because on top of paying for an entry or something, you've also got to pay for your travel and all the expenses on top of that and to be able to save some money here and there makes it a lot better for everybody involved."

Charlie believes that all children should be able to travel on the bus for free to go to school as it helps with independence later on in life.

"If you've got anybody that's stuck in the middle of town, a child at 13, 14 when they're around, they'll be able to get on the bus for free and get back home safely, instead of having to plan to walk home."

As well as calling for the scheme to be extended, Charlie believes that the age range should also be larger.

She said: "I think you should possibly do it up to 18 years old, or 21 to be honest.

"Children with SEND and stuff like that, their age range, even though they're 21, they mentally might be behind in a lot more developmental ages.

So if you cap it at 18, you've probably got a child that's at an age of 13, 14," she added.

The Minister for Roads, Justin Madders, said that the free bus travel scheme has been a "real success".

A man in a suit stood at Brighton PierJustin Madders, Minister for Roads stood at Brighton Pier (Image: NQ staff)

Whilst travelling down to Brighton Pier by bus, Mr Madders had heard that Brighton and Hove have seen a 30 per cent increase in passengers in the fire three weeks of the scheme, which he describes as "really, really good to hear".

He said: "It's been targeted deliberately at the summer holidays to make sure that those families can take advantage of this offer."

Mr Madders said that the inspiration behind the scheme came from the recognition that families have got a long summer holiday which needs to be filled with things to do which can create cost pressures.

He said: "It's really just a way of helping give them a little bit of breathing space to really just do more and get out and fill that long summer holiday."

When asked if the scheme might be extended Mr Madders said: "I think they will want to review how it's gone across the country.

"Based on what I've seen so far, it's something we'd hope to see again," he added.

Nick Hill, commercial director for Brighton and Hove buses (Image: NQ staff)

So far over 400,000 young people have travelled using the scheme on Brighton & Hove Buses and Metrobus services and with the scheme coming to a close at the end of August, children in Brighton have just a few days left to travel free of charge.

Nick Hill, Commercial Director for Brighton and Hove Buses, said: "We're very keen to carry on working with partners to see how we can look to carry on reducing the costs to make buses accessible for everyone."

"We've got the best used buses in the country outside London compared to the population by quite some margin, and we look to carry on seeing that grow further with schemes like this one," he added.

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