Conflicting UK Notions of Adulthood: Adult Fares From 16
- Curtis
- August 19, 2023
- Blog, United Kingdom
- UK
- 2 Comments
The United Kingdom has always been best known for its rich history and diverse culture. Yet, I want to talk about an aspect of UK law that has drawn criticism over time for its apparent inconsistency: the way it classes individuals as adults. If I were to ask you the question of what age are you legally considered an adult in the UK most people would say 18. This is why I want to write the article, because in this country public transport eg. trains expect individuals aged 16 or over to pay adult fares. I think this is completely unfair and we will explore this throughout the article. Also, at the end you can cast your vote on it and leave a comment if you wish.
The Age of Adulthood
As I stated earlier, in the UK the age of 18 is considered the threshold for adulthood in many legal contexts. This is because at this age, individuals gain the right to vote, purchase alcohol and tobacco, enter into legal contracts, gamble & more! At this age, people are generally held accountable for their actions in the same manner as adults. This classification is on the assumption that individuals aged 18 or over have reached a level of maturity & responsibility that allows them to make informed decisions.
The Adult Fare Dilemma
One of many areas where this legal classification of being an adult seems inconsistent is in the realm of public transportation fares. In many parts of the UK, individuals aged 16 & 17 are required to pay adult fares on buses, trains, trams etc. If they fail to do so and are caught travelling on a child rate ticket they run the risk of being fined £100. Here’s where my issue with all this lies, I think it is extremely contradictory to all the legal stuff I mentioned about being an adult, but it also places a financial burden on these young people as there are some that may still be financially dependent on their parents or guardians.
Financial Impact on Young People
The expectation of 16-year-olds to have to fork out for adult rate fares can have a significant financial impact, especially after all this cost of living crisis going on. Not only that, many individuals in this age bracket are still in full-time education whether that be finishing high school or being in college. Therefore, with them being in full-time education, it means they have limited sources of income, leaving them relying on part-time jobs or allowances from their parents. Being charged these rates may strain their finances and deter them from using transport which is essential for many people to be able to access and essential services like, work or education.
Education and Employment + Train Fare Calculations
I can confidently tell you that public transport is vital for students who need to commute to school, colleges, or universities. Many young people aged 16 or 17 are still completing their education, and making them pay adult fares will like I said deter them for using these services. If you are under 16 and paying child fares then train tickets are relatively cheap, for example Northern Trains Limited can offer an educational season pass that gives up to 75% off an education season ticket that can even be used to that destination on school holidays. I did my research and I found that a year’s season ticket from 1st September – 31st August costs £191 which is extremely cheap compared to buses for example. Now, if you are over 16 I did the calculation too, to the same location a return train ticket would cost £4.70. Now you may have noticed that doesn’t include the 16-17 railcard saver which costs £30 per year and claims to knock up to 50% off train fares. If this was the case and I took 50% off £4.70 I would be left with £2.35 which if I calculate to how many days there are in a school year which is 195 then we would realise that £2.35*195 = £458.25 then you need to add the £30 on top for the rail card which gives a grand total of £488.25. This is more than double the price of the child season ticket even without the 16-17 railcard fee on top and it doesn’t include travelling to that specific destination on holidays. Despite the fact child fares are half adult ones. Just to put this amount of money into perspective, the minimum wage for a 16-17 year old is £5.28. In order to obtain a years worth of tickets to school for example they would have to work 92.5 hours which is a lot and would take around 2 weeks of full-time work for their age group to pay off when grown adults can earn this in around half the time on their minimum wage of £10.42. On the other hand, despite these public transport providers being greedy for money there are some people that refuse to pay these fares and go fare dodging if they know they can get away with it. If prices were more reasonable I don’t think as many people would have such a problem with it.
However, hope isn’t all lost. If you are a loyal customer and have had passes in the past, you may be able to contact them and see what options they can give you.
Conclusion
The UK’s legal system recognizes individuals as adults at the age of 18, granting them various rights and responsibilities. However, the policy of making 16 & 17-year-olds pay adult fares for public transportation appears inconsistent with this classification. It places undue financial pressure on young people who are either still in education or just beginning their career paths. Furthermore, it can exacerbate inequalities by limiting access to education and employment opportunities for those facing financial hardship and don’t want to risk large fines or criminal records.
In my opinion it is essential for the UK Government or transport companies to reevaluate this policy, taking into account the financial circumstances of young people and their need for affordable access to public transportation. A fair and consistent approach to defining adulthood and its associated privileges and responsibilities should be reflected in all aspects of the law, including public transportation fares, to ensure a just and equitable society for all.
However, I’m not the first to talk about this issue. There have been many failed petitions by the public to Parliament about this topic and have subsequently just been rejected. Therefore, I think that if in that position avoiding public transport altogether is the way to go, but it puts people in jobs and is a necessary service so it is quite unfair on people.
Have your say
As mentioned earlier, I’m curious to hear your thoughts & arguments. Feel free to participate in the poll below and have a discussion in the comments.
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John -
Totally agree with this, it is quite unfair to expect people who aren’t legally adults to be like them.
Luke
Yeah, I think it is quite unfair that they should have to pay those fares considering some people’s circumstances.