| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Confiscation of 11-18 year-olds Oyster cards | |
| Posted by: | Andy Jones | |
| Date/Time: | 27/04/10 17:39:00 |
| 'When I was young I had to pay my fare and I rather think most of us posters did too.' My recollection is that I did get free travel but I may be mistaken. Certainly the cost of travel was way below in real terms what it is in London today. Public transport in this city is one of the most expensive in the world and having to pay for a child's daily travel would make a significant dent in the income of less well off families. 'Free travel is a privilege; not a right. If the cards are misused then it is proper to remove the privilege, just as "Blue Badges" are withdrawn for misuse.' It is hard to argue that misuse is material if children are not avoiding fares and the comparison with blue badges is a bit silly. The withdrawal of a card reportedly amounts to an effective fine of several hundred pounds. The principle of Natural Justice should apply. TfL may have the power to withdraw cards but they are abusing that power if they are not doing so on a fair and rational basis. Taking away cards from thousands of children for technical breaches whilst hardly ever removing them from those behaving badly is neither fair nor rational. It is clearly revenue driven. 'One might do well to remember that the regulations governing London's free travel for children were drawn up under a Labour regime, and enforced by it, so I think it's spurious to suggest that enforcement is worse, or better, under the Conservatives.' This is totally incorrect. The figures clearly show that confiscations have risen rapidly under Boris Johnson and it would seem the policy of draconian confiscation for things like non-validation is relatively new. You may regard this as an improvement but you can't argue it hasn't happened. I'm not making a political point. I think this is more cock-up than conspiracy. Boris has presumably said to one of his minions that they need to increase confiscations and they have delivered what he wanted without telling him how it is being achieved. I'm sure he would be as shocked to learn what is being done in his name as most decent people are likely to be and the policy has already been changed now it has come to light. |