Appendix
Introduction
This paper sets out the Government's response to
the House of Commons Select Committee report on Ticketing and
Concessionary Travel on Public Transport (HC 84), dated 1st April
2008. The response incorporates information provided by the Department
for Transport (DfT) and the Home Office. The Government welcomes
the Committee's consideration of this subject, and will work closely
with its stakeholders to ensure that the range of issues the Committee
has identified are given due consideration.
The timing of the Committee's report is particularly
topical, since the Government's new England-wide bus concession
was launched on the day of publication. This concession, marrying
the two themes of the report, provides free off-peak travel on
local buses across England for 11 million eligible people. More
journeys are made by bus than by any other means of public transport.
The new concession represents a significant boost to combat social
exclusion in older and disabled people, and has been welcomed
by stakeholder groups such as Help the Aged. Moreover, the issuing
of bus passes in the form of ITSO smartcards underlines the Government's
commitment to integrated ticketing and the use of new technology.
However, the Government's work on integrated ticketing
and concessionary travel extends much more widely, encompassing
rail and other modes. This response will highlight a range of
areas where the Government is putting measures in place to facilitate
through-ticketing and improve passengers' travel experience.
The Committee's recommendations are addressed in
the order that they appear in the report.
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