Lancashire County Council is considering scrapping a cheap peak-time bus fare for disabled passengers and free travel for some young people. The proposed changes, which were floated last year, have been met with mixed reactions from the public. The council says the changes are necessary to maintain financial sustainability but critics argue they will create barriers for disabled people and young people seeking opportunities.
A cheap peak-time bus fare for disabled passengers is set to be scrapped across much of Lancashire – along with free bus passes for some of the county’s young people . If approved by Lancashire County Council’s cabinet this week, the flat £1-per-journey rate for disabled people travelling before 9.30am on weekdays will be removed.
More than 500 of the 10,000 disabled people in Lancashire holding a NoWCard responded to the proposal, with four in five disagreeing with the move – some of them strongly. A summary of the consultation states many respondents felt the change would “create barriers for disabled people to enter or remain in employment, access healthcare, or participate in wider community and leisure activities”.
The removal of the peak-time disabled fare will save the county council £239,000 per year, while scrapping the 16-18-year-old pass will bring in £155,000, which County Hall says could be used to help fund, amongst other things, the under-pressure school transport budget. “In an ideal world, we would keep this indefinitely, but unfortunately we have to make some difficult decisions to maintain our financial sustainability and resilience. Local authorities across the country are facing the same challenges and we have to carefully consider where our limited funding is being spent.
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DISABLED PEOPLE BUS FARES YOUNG PEOPLE TRANSPORT BUDGET CUTS
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