UK city hands free bus passes to asylum seekers - while charging everyone else £4.50 fares

A caller strategy successful Oxford volition spot escaped bus day-passes handed to asylum seekers - portion different passengers wage up to £4.50.

The aviator scheme, which was launched connected Monday, November 11, gives asylum seekers successful Oxfordshire surviving connected little than £9 a week free entree to buses wrong Oxford’s SmartZone.

The inaugural was supported by Asylum Welcome and Citizens UK and aims to assistance question to appointments, be classes and integrate into the community.

The Oxford Bus Company’s website lists the outgo of a CityZone time walk astatine £4.50.

Other options see a play walk for £18, a 4-week walk for £61, and an yearly walk costing £499.

The institution besides offers a Government-backed strategy capping big azygous tickets astatine £2 until the extremity of 2024.

Asylum seekers welcomed the escaped passes, telling Oxford Mail however the strategy has transformed their regular lives.

One asylum seeker said: “This autobus walk allows maine to be my classes and sojourn my friends successful antithetic parts of the city.”

Another, named Habib, said: “I similar Oxford city, and I privation to marque my aboriginal successful Oxford.”

A 3rd asylum seeker, Ghaniyat, said: “I volition ne'er hide this kindness for the remainder of my life. I admit it deeply.”

The archetypal 120 passes were distributed this week to asylum seekers surviving successful edifice accommodation.

Many said the passes would assistance the asylum seekers entree libraries, museums, places of worship and volunteering opportunities.

The Bishop of Oxford, Steven Croft, besides praised the initiative.

He said: “This volition assistance those who person slightest to beryllium much astatine location and beryllium a tangible motion of invited from our full community.”

The strategy has besides been celebrated by Asylum Welcome, with coordinator Hari Reed crediting refugees for driving the campaign.

“The occurrence of the autobus run is acknowledgment to the dedicated enactment of asylum seekers surviving successful edifice accommodation successful Oxford,” Reed said.

The project, backed by Oxfordshire County Council and section autobus companies, is simply a aviator programme that campaigners anticipation volition grow successful the future.

Supporters reason that escaped transport volition assistance trim the isolation often felt by asylum seekers during lengthy ineligible processes.