Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to supporting care leavers aged 18 to 25 with their access to public transport, including reviewing whether to extend the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme to those individuals.

This government recognises the importance of supporting care leavers, and is keeping public transport affordable having announced a new £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London throughout the entirety of 2025.

Local authorities in England can and have implemented a wide range of their own local fares initiatives, including some discount schemes for care leavers, utilising alternative funding, such as Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding. In the Autumn Budget, the government confirmed £640 million in new BSIP funding for local authorities in England outside London in 2025/26.