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Unfair fine must be dropped - Burstow

July 15, 2009 6:57 PM

MP for Sutton and Cheam, Paul Burstow, has expressed his outrage at the treatment by Transport for London of a group of local special educational needs children, who were thrown off a bus when returning from a school trip.

The five students from Eagle House School, who have autistic spectrum disorders, have been issued with fines totalling £125 after being treated as fare evaders by transport officers, because they do not carry their travel cards with them at all times.

Despite the students being accompanied by teachers who explained that they do not carry their travel cards with them because of their obvious disability, they were still given fines.

This also contradicted the intent of the student travel pass which is supposed to mean that all school age children, and especially those with special needs, are able to use London Transport for free.

Mr Burstow is campaigning, alongside Marta Fraczek a special educational needs teacher at Eagle House, to have the fines waived and is putting pressure on the manager of Sutton and Croydon for TfL to this effect.

Commenting Paul Burstow MP said:

'I simply can't understand the reaction of these transport officers who had numerous opportunities to do the right thing throughout this whole incident and instead they have stuck rigidly to the letter of the law.

'It was obvious that these children weren't dodging their fares; from their disability, from their teachers and from TfL's own principle of the 'spirit' of the travel card allowing students free travel whether they have their cards with them, or not.

'In this case it seems officialdom has gone mad and the victims have been a well-meaning group of children that have been discriminated against and degraded in way that is wholly unacceptable.'

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