Earlier this year I wrote to my MP, Nick Boles, about the difficulties those just under 18 have in proving their age on public transport so they don’t pay the full fare.  When I received my response I was surprised, as I had almost forgotten about it, as I sent off my letter quite some time ago.  When I read the letter, I realised why it had taken so long.  So much work had gone into getting me a very full and detailed answer.

My question had been taken to the Department of Transport and specifically to the Minister responsible for buses. My proposition was that under 18s have no way of proving they are the age they say, causing them to spend extra money which is a struggle as the majority of under 18s are students with very little income. I got a very detailed and personalised response of almost two sides explaining all the intricacies of government policy which I showed to my Politics teacher Mr Tuck.  He said it was an excellent example of an MP representing the concerns of his constituents.

Part of our studies in A level Politics this year is the role of the MP in representation and this was a great practical example of this in practice.  I keep my own politics private, but I have to say that Nick Boles did a first rate job of answering my question.  Mr Gallop, my headmaster and my other Politics teacher, has encouraged us to write to our MPs to raise our concerns.  It’s something I would recommend.

Here’s a picture of me with my letter from Nick Boles and my two page response from the Ministry of Transport.

Ryan Jones, Year 12.