Bus pass delay for children 'costing islanders money'

Deputy Rob Ward said the scheme should not be delayed as the main obstacles have already been met

A States member behind cheap bus passes for young people in Jersey says a delay in introducing the scheme is costing islanders money.

The proposal for under 18s to have annual bus passes costing £20 each for unlimited travel was approved in December alongside the Government Plan.

Deputy Rob Ward said any delay in introducing the pass was costing islanders money.

The States said it expected the pass to be introduced "as soon as possible".

Mr Ward said: "Every single day, week and month that this is delayed means that those who will benefit from this by saving significant amounts of money when sending their children to school will miss out - it's irresponsible and totally unnecessary.

"This is about issuing a bus pass, the main obstacle to this was the cost and that has now been met, so let's just get on and do it."

Deputy Kevin Lewis, the minister responsible for buses, said there was still "a lot of work to do".

He said: "It's not as easy as it looks - LibertyBus is an independent private company and they do have a contract with the States of Jersey, but that contract now has to be renegotiated.

"There's a possibility that they might need more drivers, they may need more buses, there's a lot of work to do."

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