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All aboard! Local people tell us their public transport stories in our northern bus tour

All aboard! Local people tell us their public transport stories in our northern bus tour

A group of school children stand in front of a bus.

Public transport is patchy, expensive and unreliable in the UK. We set out on a bus tour across the north of England to listen to stories of how poor public transport is affecting people's lives. We heard from primary school children who were scared on overcrowded buses and asylum seekers who couldn't afford the bus fare to the next town to buy Halal meat. We're coming together across the north of England to demand better public transport. Here's are some stories of why it's so important.

Parents told us of unreliable services which are affecting their children's school attendance: "In our area the bus comes every 30 minutes and we have to change the bus to get the children to school. One day, three buses came but they were full so we couldn't get on until the fourth one. We arrived very late to school."
One young person is a carer for her mum, who has disabilities requiring wheelchair use. Due to the lack of frequency of buses and delays against the timetable she gets up at 4.30am to get prepared for the day which means she can be tired through the day. She has made arrangements to stay later in school which helps as she doesn't miss lessons but its really hard for her to get home as public transport becomes less frequent, it can take up to an hour and a half to get home from school which is stressful.
"Sometimes it can take an hour and a half to school and then again in the afternoon so the whole day can be spent on buses trying to get the children to school. I stay in the library all day while the children are in school." A parent in Lancashire.
People - especially women - reported feeling unsafe on public transport: "It is unsafe as a female riding solo – I have experienced threatening behaviour but with just a driver on the bus I am uncertain and nervous as to how they would deal with it and protect me"