“The pandemic really brought home just how vital our public services are, and that key workers really are key to so many lives. What’s really going on here is that these school students and their parents are feeling the practical effects of a system that is congenitally incapable of putting first the needs of people.

More people on buses means fewer people in cars which, in turn, means lower carbon emissions. We have the existential threat of climate breakdown looming over all of us. So, there really is no choice but to make services like public transport a priority and run them not for profit but instead for the benefit of society and our planet.”