Scrapping fares on public transport is an idealway to respond to the soaring fuel prices caused by the war in the Gulf.
Abolishing fares makes public transport more attractive to drivers, to help get them out of their cars. It also gives instant support to public transport users, whose journeys are far less fuel-intensive.
“Free public transport would reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, and on world markets where prices are set by events outside our control”, Pearl Ahrens of Fare Free London said.
The fuel price shock from the US-Israeli attack on Iran is likely to last a long time. The UK will be hit harder than any other country in the G20, the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development has said. The EU has also warned that cutting taxes on petrol could cause a fiscal crisis.
This terrible war should force a permanent rethink of the transport system, Fare Free London believes. The drastic changes necessitated by climate change are long overdue, and the war just adds to the urgency of addressing energy vulnerabilities now.
This is an opportunity to put in place policies that make our transport system more resilient to shocks – both fuel shortages and economic crises – and work towards a sustainable transport system in the longer term. Instead of cutting taxes on fuel, which is already heavily subsidised, we should try and save fuel by encouraging people to travel on public transport.
“It is wonderful to see the Scottish Greens putting free bus travel in their manifesto”, Ahrens said. “And at UK national level, the call by Ed Davey of the Liberal Democrats, for 10% off rail fares and a £1 cap on bus tickets, is very welcome.
“But we can and should go further. National and local authorities in several countries have already implemented free public transport, in response to the war. It should be at the top of the UK and London political agenda.”
In Asia, municipal authorities have turned to free public transport to shield people from the worst effects of the sharp increases in oil prices.
In Pakistan, the state of Punjab (the largest state in the country, with 125+ million population) and the capital, Islamabad, have made public transport free for a month. The Punjab Mass Transit Authority reckons that more than 800,000 passengers are benefiting from the policy each day, and the provincial government is considering expanding the bus fleet to cope.
In Australia, both the state of Victoria and the island of Tasmania have also made public transport free, temporarily.
Municipal authorities in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam – which has a population of 14.5 million, much more than London’s – are considering a permanent scheme.
Free public transport as an emergency measure is not problem-free, but its implementation in UK cities would be a welcome relief from the costs of tickets.Evidence from Montpellier in France, where public transport has now been free for two years, is that a properly-managed scheme in a European city works very well.
More about the campaign for free public transport
In the run-up to the 7 May elections, more than 170 candidates have signed a pledge to “use our platforms to call for the extension of free public transport”. Fare Free London, together with Fare Free Yorkshire, Better Buses for West Yorkshire, West Yorkshire Needs a Tram, Tipping Point UK and the Greener Jobs Alliance, are backing the initiative – and we hope to gather more support between now and election day.
Fare Free London was set up in February 2024 to promote free public transport as a way to open the city to all, to support low income households in the face of rising costs and to tackle air pollution and climate change. We have won substantial support from trade unions and community organisations, and are working with our allies towards establishing a national campaign.
