Young people skip lunch to pay for bus, report finds

Young people are skipping lunch or taking on extra work to be able to afford bus travel in Oxford, a report has found.

Citizens Oxford spoke to 7,500 adults and young people in the city and surrounding areas, with 70% of parents surveyed saying bus transport was "very expensive".

Its report concluded bus travel should be cheaper for schoolchildren who are finding it too expensive and a "barrier" to education.

Oxford Bus Company (OBC) said the issue was "important" and it would meet students to discuss the issue in September.

The Transport, Education and Opportunity report highlighted how young people attending the same schools in Oxford could face "dramatically different" transport costs, depending on where they lived.

"Families living on Oxford's most deprived, outlying housing estates are often the hardest hit - many of them having to travel the furthest distance on the tightest budget," it said.

The report found some children were changing their behaviour because of the cost of buses.

"There have been days where I skip lunch or walk half the journey to save a bit of money," one respondent featured in the report said.

It added that cheaper transport would create more opportunities for young people.

Rachel Thanassoulis, a governor at Greyfriars Catholic School in Oxford and a member of Citizens Oxford, said: "We've got some great cultural experiences on our doorstep: museums, theatres and green spaces. But they feel unable to access them."

David, a student at Greyfriars, said his bus journeys from Abingdon to Oxford and then to his school cost him about £17 a week.

"That impacts my parents, who are the ones working for it. [Cheaper fares] would mean we'd have more to spend on family outings," he added.

Fellow student Nifemi said some students eligible for free school meals would walk rather than take the bus, arriving too late to take advantage of the school's breakfast club: "It then affects their whole day because they're not able to focus on lessons or really grasp their education."

Luke Marion, director of OBC, said its three-year Get Around Card meant under-18s could pay £1 per journey after buying the card for £15.

He added that it was important for OBC to generate enough revenue to cover its costs and run services effectively: "Otherwise, we can't buy the vehicles, we can't pay the drivers... [but] it is an issue I'm sensitive about, and there are possible pots of funding to tap into for this."

Oxfordshire County Council said young people could get discounted fares through schemes such as the Smartzone ticket that could cost as little as £13.40 a week.

Stagecoach, which offers several youth discount options, has been approached for comment.

The Department for Transport said: "We're investing £3bn in better bus services and extending the £3 fare cap until March 2027."

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