Unemployed young people face being 'stranded' if benefits cut without transport help

Unemployed young people face being 'stranded' if benefits cut without transport help EXCLUSIVE: Some 70% of young people not in education, employment or training (Neets) have no access to any discounted bus schemes, according to shocking research by the New Economics Foundation John Healey is facing pressure to cut transport costs for young people to help ease the youth unemployment crisis. Some 70% of young people not in education, employment or training (Neets) have no access to any discounted bus schemes, according to grim research by the New Economics Foundation (NEF) shared with The Mirror. The Chancellor has been warned he could leave young people “stranded” if benefits for under 25s are cut without an offer of boosted transport support. Andy Burnham last week branded the around one million 18 to 24-year-olds classed as Neets as an "economic catastrophe and a moral failure". Former Labour Cabinet minister Alan Milburn’s landmark review into the crisis - which is due to report in full shortly - has warned that transport has “emerged as a significant practical barrier” to youngsters in his research. In his interim report published in May, he noted how London - which offers free travel for those under 18 and discounted for those aged 18 to 21 - has the lowest Neet rate of any English region. “Transport is obviously not the only reason; but it is no coincidence that the city with the best youth transport offer has the best youth participation outcomes,” he wrote. NEF, a left-wing think tank aligned with Mr Burnham, said three in four young people out of work or education (75%) live somewhere with no council-backed bus discount open to everyone their age, while 69% have no access to any bus discount, including ones issued by bus companies and only valid on specific buses. It found many youth bus discounts are limited to students, apprentices or other specific groups, which most Neets don’t qualify for. The stats are worse for slightly older young people, with 91% of 22–24-year-old Neets in England having no open-to-all youth discount available to them. NEF also pointed out poor transport connections are also having an impact. Some 33% of young NEETs live in poorly connected areas, it found, with this figure rising to 42% for "left-behind" coastal areas. As part of its plans to tackle the Neets crisis, ministers are said to be considering removing the health element of Universal Credit for under-25s and instead offering support to get them into work. Experts at NEF warn that benefits for young people should not be cut without ensuring they can access work, education and training opportunities. The think tank is calling for free bus travel for under-25s, paired with expanded bus services in coastal and rural areas, to help close regional and income gaps for young people. It said this would cost £1.1billion upfront, rising to £1.5bn a year over the long term. Paula Castro Rodriguez, researcher at NEF, said: “If the government plans to switch spending away from social security for young people and towards employment support, it could leave many of them completely stranded. Young people in the most deprived areas are struggling to take advantage of opportunities simply because they cannot afford the bus fare to get there. “There’s no point offering someone support if they don’t have the money to attend a job interview, a course or their first shift. If this government is serious about supporting young people into employment, they should make bus travel free for under 25s.” Michael Solomon Williams, of Campaign for Better Transport, said: "Without decent, affordable transport, a whole range of opportunities are locked and barred to many young people. Youth travel discount schemes should be a priority, alongside more and better public transport services. Together, these would alleviate many of the other challenges that young people face, particularly getting to opportunities for education, employment and training." In one of his first acts as PM, Mr Burnham announced a £2 bus fare cap from January. Experts warn £4 for a daily round-trip - or £20 for a week’s journeys - is too expensive for many. Existing employment help includes the Flexible Support Fund, a locally managed budget that helps certain groups pay for things like the cost of buying work clothes or travel costs to attend interviews for better paid employment. Mr Burnham announced in August that people who hold a disabled bus pass can travel on buses for free, no matter the time of day, from April. "This extra support will help to open up access to workplaces, education, training", the Government said at the time. A Government spokesman said: "No young person should be locked out of a job because they can't afford the bus fare to get there. Through the Flexible Support Fund, jobcentres can already help eligible young people with travel costs that might otherwise stand in the way of them moving into employment – and we’ve built this support into recent employment schemes we’ve launched with Amazon and the British Retail Consortium." Decisions on local concessionary travel schemes, including any additional discretionary concessions for young people, sit with local councils rather than central government. ::: NEF mapped youth bus fare discounts for each age from 16 to 24 across all 153 upper-tier councils in England, using around 380 Local Transport Plans, Bus Service Improvement Plans, Enhanced Partnership schemes and council and bus company web pages, as of October 2026.