Free buses to be considered for 2027 budget

Guernsey's bus service could be made free for a year if an amendment to next year's States budget is approved.

Deputies Sally Rochester and Ross Le Brun want the Policy and Resources Committee to give the Environment and Infrastructure Department £1.9m to "enable the existing public transport service" to be made free of charge, or "subject to a nominal annual fee" in a one-year pilot.

The proposal is one of 30 changes put forward to next year's budget, scheduled for consideration on 3 November.

Other amendments put forward include efforts to secure money for States' committees faced with budget cuts, attempts to freeze fuel duty and cuts to overseas aid.

In their proposed amendment, Rochester and Le Brun stressed "key drivers" for the cost of living crisis in Guernsey had arisen from "housing, food, fuel and energy and transport".

They suggested free public transport would provide a "direct reduction in household expenditure, particularly for lower and middle-income families who are disproportionately affected by transport costs".

The measure would be "especially beneficial at a time when the budget acknowledges continuing pressures on household finances arising from inflation, housing costs and wider cost-of-living challenges," their proposal added.

Speaking about the potential pilot on BBC Radio Guernsey, Le Brun said the change would be money directly in the pocket of lower-earners who "can't afford to run a car", noting a fuel duty freeze "won't help them at all".

Debate on the budget is due to begin on Tuesday.

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