'Freedom Riders' lobby transport chiefs
Campaigning pensioners known as the Freedom Riders have been lobbying public transport chiefs outside Barnsley Town Hall over cuts to concessionary train travel.
Campaigning pensioners known as the Freedom Riders have been lobbying public transport chiefs outside Barnsley Town Hall over cuts to concessionary train travel.
Campaigners for free travel passes for the disabled and elderly in South Yorkshire, dubbed the Freedom Riders, are holding a march and rally today in Barnsley.
Earlier this month they managed to persuade transport chiefs to do a u-turn on their plans to scrap free train and bus travel for pensioners and the disabled.
But although the disabled can still travel for free the elderly will have to pay half price and only travel at set times.
The Freedom Riders are now stepping up their campaign to get the Passenger Transport Executive to think again about scrapping free travel passes for pensioners.
They are assembling at 11am at the Barnsley College end of Eastgate and a march around Barnsley will be followed by a rally in Peel Square.
The rally will be addressed by Tosh Macdonald, national Vice-president of ASLEF, the train drivers' union, which has been supporting the Freedom Rides, and other trade union and campaign speakers.
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