Compulsory travel passes for university students

Adapted extract from an article in the Seattle Times by Peyton Whitely (USA), monitored for the Institute by Roger Knights.

The University of Washington is considering a proposal that every student, whether or not they would individually benefit, should pay about $22-50 extra every quarter for a 'Universal Transportation Pass', entitling them to unlimited travel on the metro and buses. Their present problem is that more than 35,000 people go to classes daily, but there are only 12,300 parking spaces. In the debate on this issue, it was pointed out that the 8,000 students who walk to university would get a poor deal, but one person spoke up to say that she would happily pay for the pass even though she would never use it - by public transport, it would take her three hours' commuting each day to make the two changes on her journey.

Compulsory travel pass scheme for the UK

Roy Simpson

Public transport has a great deal of spare capacity (but not everywhere and not at all times). This is a resource running to waste. When this spare capacity is made available, eg to a pensioner with an off-peak travel pass, this has a real money value to the recipient, but, as it comes from a resource otherwise running to waste, the cost to the community is very little - an arrangement that is very satisfactory to both sides.

The concept of a compulsory public transport travel pass for motorists (extending the concept behind the university scheme outlined above) would maximise the service public transport can give to the country, and would reduce the pressure on the community of public motoring, but without overburdening the system by allowing unlimited free travel.

As a general principle, local off-peak travel would be unrestricted, but longer journeys would be restricted, using computerised accounting, to a limited number per month, varying according to length of journey, place visited and so on. Commuters might be restricted to a specified journey at peak hours.

'Motorists would automatically pay for their travel pass along with the car tax (and perhaps for their family also)'

Motorists would automatically pay for their pass along with the car tax (and perhaps for their family also). The licence badge on the windscreen would show the type of pass issued. Motorists wishing to enter a city centre or other congested area, would be free to do so subject to car parking charges and provided that they had paid for a pass entitling them to enter the area by public transport.

These measures would greatly reduce the traffic flow whilst using minimum compulsion. Children, senior citizens, the low paid etc would get their passes via the social security system. 'One-off' journeys not covered by a pass would of course be paid for.

Roy Simpson, Chacewater, 13 Dalmore Avenue, Claygate, Surrey KT10 OHQ (tel 0372 65073).

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