Watchdog comments on proposal to make train, Tube and bus rides free to incentivise people to return to shops and offices

16 September 2020

Responding to the suggestion that free train, Tube and bus rides are being considered to incentivise Londoners to return to shops and offices, London TravelWatch Director, Emma Gibson commented: ‘People are nervous about getting back on public transport but our survey shows that if you’ve actually travelled on the Tube, train or bus lately, you’re much more likely to rate it as safe, than if you haven’t used it for a while. Any incentives to get people back on public transport need to be carefully targeted, because social distancing on public transport is very important to people. And it must give out a consistent message. In Paris under 18s are being given free travel to encourage them back onto public transport, whereas in London, discussion is underway to remove free travel from some under 18s, to avoid crowded buses.’