Comments | commonpeople: Zero Tolerance

commonpeople

Zero Tolerance

Jun 20, 2008 09:29

BoJo's new strict rules for public transport in London are making their mark in my neighbourhood. Yesterday evening, I came out of Mile End Tube and found four wardrobes dressed as policemen standing beside a metal detector, with a few police vans outside. Last week, there was a proper police raid on Mile End Road; I saw two boys pressed against ( Read more... )

the wayward bus, going underground, suffer little children, london, sweet and tender hooligan, we are the pigs

Comments 15

phyrephly June 23 2008, 01:44:39 UTC

This is all alien to me. Children have photo IDs in England? Why would any kid be left on the street rather than be taken to school? In America, it's not really the children who do crime, I guess?

commonpeople June 23 2008, 08:54:23 UTC

Children can ride buses and trains for free if they show photo ID cards that prove their age (I think they have to be younger than 16 or 14). Those kids were left behind because they didn't have their IDs and they didn't pay for the bus fare. Do kids ride for free in America?

phyrephly June 23 2008, 18:21:07 UTC

Oh I see. Did they actually look older than 14? Kids in Philadelphia get their free bus fares through the school they attend. It probably depends a great deal on what city you live in, but in Philadelphia the schools give out free passes to kids that don't take the free school buses. Philadelphia public transit isn't very good though. It might be more efficient in other cities.

commonpeople June 24 2008, 14:16:12 UTC

No, they definitely looked younger than 14! The girl couldn't be older than 12. In the past, it wouldn't have mattered because the driver would have made a personal judgement call whether they were old enough. But now, with the new mayor, they have to check every single one, regardless of whether they look young or not.