Campaign for Free Public Transport

Posted in Transport by Rachel - Sep 15, 2009

We are supporting the campaign for FREE public transport right across Greater Manchester.

Salford Youth Council believes public transport is an essential public service, which should be publicly owned and run. We want to see its improvement and expansion for the benefit of its users, to help remove traffic from our roads, to reduce pollution and CO2 emissions, and to protect pedestrians, cyclists and other road users.

In a recent survey, 72% of people said they would only give up their cars if they had access to free public transport, we are also campaigning for all public transport to be free at the point of use, to help get people out of their cars, and to help put money currently spent on transport back into ordinary people’s pockets. We believe what we are calling for should be financed out of a progressive system of general taxation which sees the rich pay the most, and the poorest pay nothing at all.

Public meetings are being held (currently at the Friends Meeting House in Manchester City Centre) to organise the campaign. The next event will be on Thursday 17th September at 7:30pm.

The campaign is also supported by the Fire Brigades Union, UNISON, the National Union of Teachers (NUT), UNite, the Professional Footballers Association and the National Union of Journalists. More information can be found at http://www.freepublictransport.org.uk/