2017-11-24 16:46:05 +0000
To: Department for Transport
Fair rail and bus scheme for carers
Introduce a railcard and bus pass to give carers concessionary or free travel on public transport across the country.
Why is this important?
Unpaid carers save the nation around £162 billion every year. They often have to decide between paying bills, eating, or getting the person they care for to crucial medical appointments, or visiting them in hospitals or hospices. They also have their own lives to balance around caring, for example travelling from school, college, university or work to the person they care for on a regular basis; or in the case of intermittent carers, such as university students, if an emergency arises and they have to take time off and travel long distances to help the person they care for.
Public transport is an essential service that should be financially accessible to carers. Various regions of the country have railcard schemes that provide discounts based on where people live, but there is no national scheme for rail or bus that does not depend on age or disability. There are benefits available to some carers depending on their circumstances, but even when they are awarded, travels costs are so high that it still becomes a struggle.
The Government is already looking at improving the rights of carers and services provided to them, so I believe this is the right time to fight for concessionary or even free travel for carers. Please join me in asking for a carers railcard and bus pass, that would be life-changing for thousands of people.
This petition was inspired by a Scotland-specific campaign, created by Amanda MacDonald.
