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Mayor launches free travel passes for war veterans
Katharine Barney, Evening Standard7 Nov 2008
A NEW scheme to allow war veterans to travel free on public transport in London was launched today by Boris Johnson.
All veterans who receive a pension under the War Pensions Scheme or are awarded funding under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme are eligible for passes.
More than 1,500 passes have already been issued and veterans are expected to take advantage of the new scheme to travel to the Cenotaph in Whitehall and around the capital for remembrance services on Sunday.
The Mayor marked the introduction of the Veterans Concessionary Travel Scheme with a visit to HMS Illustrious today where he met a group of veterans who have already been issued with their travel passes.
Mr Johnson said: "The men and women who will qualify for this scheme deserve the respect and the gratitude of everyone in the capital. Far too often these heroes have been forgotten on their return to our shores; but here in London we are humbled by the unsung sacrifices of our veterans and there cannot be a more apt time of year than the brink of Remembrance Sunday to remind them of the honour in which they are held.
"Free travel on public transport is the very least that we can offer the veterans and in all honesty their courage and bravery deserves a great deal more."
The passes also apply to war widows and widowers and eligible dependants. They can be used on buses, the London Underground and Overground, trams, the Docklands Light Railway and river services in the capital. The Train Operating Companies have also backed the Mayor's plans and agreed that war veterans will be able to travel free on their services within Greater London.
The National Service of Remembrance is being held at the Cenotaph starting at 10.30am.
Workers are preparing the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey to honour Britain's war dead.
The Royal British Legion field was opened by the Duke of Edinburgh at a service yesterday.
Each year, the Legion establishes fields of remembrance in London and Cardiff.
Trumpeters will sound the Last Post from the parapet of nearby St Margaret's Church, before a two-minute silence observed at the service.
Reader views (8)
They have sacrificed for the country and they are deserved to receive this honour. Boris is great and I salute him for his fantastic work.
- Muheed Jeeran, London, 07/11/2008 15:45
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Well done Boris, now can you take them off the unruly teenagers, who create havoc on the buses, and make them walk.
- Shelly, London, 07/11/2008 15:44
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The way we treat soldier and veterans in this country is a disgrace.
Good for Boris is setting a tone for the way wee should be treating our troops.
- Stuart, Luton, UK, 07/11/2008 15:41
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Why does the UK treat its service personnel with such contempt? Well done Boris for doing something positive (unlike his Labour colleagues). It would be a really nice gesture if our Labour colleagues in government now gave our war pensioners a few of those 'rights' so readily handed out to terrorists, criminals and so-called 'asylum seekers'.
- Joannie, London, England, 07/11/2008 15:14
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At last. About bloody time that something has been done for those who've served.
Well done Boris.
- A. Winsley, London, 07/11/2008 14:37
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More good news from kindly old Uncle Boris. Ken would have given free bus passes to Imams if he thought he could get away with it. However the point about 'Anciens Combatants' is a bit rich really when we have thousands and thousands of ex-active servicemen and the french only have the one bloke who waved a white flag in 1939 then fled over here and didn't return until we'd made it safe.
- Squiz, Islington, 07/11/2008 13:17
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This is a wonderful idea, good work Boris.
- St, London, 07/11/2008 13:06
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As usual, UK is the poor relation. Here in France my French colleagues who are ex-military ("Anciens Combattants") get free travel on buses, tax concessions, and many more advantages. In the French Army all service outside France counts double for pensions.
However, I think in UK it should be limited to those who have been on active service. A soldier can get a medical discharge and pension for being diabetic, for example.
- David Chown, BORDEAUX FRANCE, 07/11/2008 10:07
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