Most jobseekers aren’t getting bus fare discounts

People out of work or on income support in the East End are not claiming the bus fare discounts they are entitled to, according to a travel watchdog.

Almost six-out-of-10 jobseekers in Tower Hamlets are not claiming the 50 per cent off fares.

Local Jobcentres may not be promoting the discounts, which makes it a postcode lottery whether those qualifying are getting the discount, according to London Travel Watch.

Travel Watch chair Sharon Grant said: “It varies across London, from 100 per cent in the City to as little as 43 per cent in Tower Hamlets next door.

“Further east is even worse—with only 31 per cent in Redbridge and 24 per cent in Barking and Dagenham. This suggests some Jobcentres are not promoting the discount that can make a huge difference to those out of work.

“This can’t be right. They should all promote the half-fare discount and put an end to the postcode lottery.”

The take up in Shoreditch and Hackney is 86 per cent.