Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of increases in the cost of transport on the levels of (a) unemployment and (b) productivity among 16-24 year olds.

All children under 16 receive 50 per cent off all adult rail fares, and in 2019 we introduced the 16-17 Saver railcard, extending this to 16- and 17-year-olds, meaning that a 50 per cent discount is available to children throughout their period of compulsory education and training. For students aged 18 and above, including mature students over the age of 25 studying full-time, the 16-25 Railcard offers a third off most rail travel. We have also introduced the 26-30 Railcard, extending the 34 per cent discount to more young adults.

In England, the majority of bus services outside London operate on a commercial basis, and decisions about offering reduced or discounted fares for commercial bus services are predominantly for operators to take. Many bus operators currently offer discounted fares for younger people. Our most recent set of statistics shows by the end of March 2023, at least 20 travel concession authorities themselves and at least one commercial bus operator in 71 out of the 84 travel concession authority areas in England, outside London, offered some form of discounted travel for young people.

The Government introduced a £2 cap on single bus fares in England outside London from 1 January 2023 until the end of 2024 to help passengers save on their regular travel costs. The Government has provided almost £600 million to support the scheme.