Sam Townend for Bristol North West

Dear Sir,
 
Mr Farthing was jumping the gun a bit in his comments on the national provision of free bus travel over England for over 60s and eligible disabled people being false or a postcode lottery ("Soapbox: Free public transport" Post 21.02.08).  It has not yet come into force, but will be from 1st April.  The current concession is free local bus travel in Bristol, BaNES, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire from 9.00am on Monday to Friday and at any time during weekends and public holidays and this will continue.  In addition, from 1st April, again for over 60s and eligible disabled people, there is free local bus travel in all other areas of England from 9.30am to 11.00pm.
You will need to get a national concessionary travel pass, but the Council should have contacted all those currently with a free local pass by now.  If not you can phone the Council on 922 3089 to get one.
It was not fair for Mr Farthing to declare it failed before it has even come into place.  Nor was it fair for him to say it lacked central government support.  It was the Labour Government that introduced both the local and now national schemes.  He is right, though, to say that coaches and trains are presently exempt and that the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly have not supported it- as we all know they have chosen to spend their money on other things.  Lets give it a chance to work before declaring it dead and if Mr Farthing has trouble in Keswick in Cumbria again I will gladly take up his case.
 
Sam Townend, Labour's Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Bristol North West