Scrap removal of free transport for under-18s from TfL bailout
This petition gathered 171,010 signatures between 21 July 2020 and 21 January 2021, according to the Parliament petitions site. The Government responded on 10 August 2020. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 30 November 2020.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Scrap removal of free transport for under-18s from TfL bailout
To not decide to scrap free travel for those who are under 18. As a teenager who has relied so much on free travel, it has allowed for me to go to school without the worry of an extra expense and explore around the beautiful city of London also. Destroying free travel would hurt so many of us.
By scrapping this as part of a £1.6bn TfL bailout package, those from poorer backgrounds will be forced to pay to go to school. This will impact those who cannot freely travel to school (driving, cycling or walking) . As there are fines put in place for children who do not return to school in September 2020, this will further increase economic problems for many families in the UK. This will increase poverty within the UK, causing more people from poorer backgrounds to fall further into debt.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 10 August 2020; the petitions site lists the Department for Transport as responsible. Its summary:
The suspension of free travel for 11-17 year olds will help reduce demand for public transport at peak times during the Covid-19 pandemic. This was agreed by the Government and the Mayor of London.
The response in full:
The Covid-19 pandemic has given rise to an unprecedented health and public safety emergency. The £1.6 billion Extraordinary Funding and Financing Agreement agreed by Government and the Mayor of London to enable Transport for London (TfL) to continue operating services contained a series of conditions to facilitate safe travel on public transport in London.
The suspension of free bus and tram travel for 11-17 year olds will help to reduce demand for public transport so that those who need to use it can do so safely.
The Department for Transport continues to work closely with TfL, the Department for Education, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and other key partners on how the suspension can be operationalised, whilst ensuring that any child eligible for free home to school travel under national legislation will still receive it.
Department for Transport
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 2,476, came from Hackney North and Stoke Newington.
170,426 of the signatures were from the UK and 584 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Hackney North and Stoke Newington | 2,476 |
| Camberwell and Peckham | 2,444 |
| Lewisham, Deptford | 2,360 |
| Bethnal Green and Bow | 2,309 |
| Hackney South and Shoreditch | 2,282 |
| Croydon North | 2,184 |
| West Ham | 2,137 |
| Streatham | 2,091 |
| Dulwich and West Norwood | 2,083 |
| Hornsey and Wood Green | 2,070 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| London | 109,795 |
| South East | 16,670 |
| East of England | 11,458 |
| South West | 5,594 |
| North West | 5,484 |
| West Midlands | 5,426 |
| East Midlands | 4,201 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 3,813 |
| Wales | 1,618 |
| Scotland | 1,583 |
| North East | 1,040 |
| Northern Ireland | 345 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 30 November 2020. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/331453.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
e1179323e491ee6a… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.