Public transport 'too costly' for young people

Young people are being put off using public transport because of concerns about the cost, accessibility and safety.

The issues have been highlighted in a report by Gloucestershire Community Rail Partnership.

Research was gathered from hundreds of young people in Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire.

Youth Engagement and Insight Lead, Luke Goddard, said he hoped transport companies and local authorities would look at the barriers young people are facing and "start implementing some of their ideas".

The Youth Transport Report captured insights from more than 900 young people aged between 13-25, who took part in youth forums and a survey.

The results revealed that 44% of young people view cost as the biggest barrier to public transport, while 18% point to accessibility.

Martin Kinac from Gloucester, 19, said: "Its been so difficult in recent years, a lot of the time it gets delayed, a lot of times it gets straight up cancelled."

He often gets the train to Birmingham which has increased in cost by 40% in the past few years. "The price keeps going up and up," he said.

Luke Goddard said it highlights key issues they face.

Chris Hanson, Managing Director of Stagecoach West said: "These reports are invaluable helping us to make decisions on how best we can make our services more attractive to younger people.

"We are pleased that a number of the recommendations already sit within the Bus Service Improvement Plan committed to by the Enhanced Partnership between Stagecoach, Gloucestershire County Council and other bus operators in the county."

A Department for Transport spokesperson has said they are "allocating £8m to Gloucestershire County Council this year along to support and improve bus services and infrastructure".

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