The Government announced some months ago that from April 2006,‘People over 60 and people with disabilities will benefit from free bus travel within the area of the local authority where they live (district councils in shire areas), from 9.30 am Monday to Friday and all day at weekends.’

I would expect an increase in demand for services like the 44 and A1-A3, which during the day are well used by people over 60. However, these sevices are up for renewal, and the Abingdon Herald (December 29, 2005) warned that the County Council are expected to cut services to save money. Free travel will arrive but there may not be the buses.

Apart from the Abingdon town services which are under threat, the most frequently used bus services cross district council boundaries, from Abingdon to Oxford, and Didcot, and may not be free. I worry that free travel will arrive but it will not be co-ordinated, and will not bring the intended benefits.