May 02, 2025
Is there room for us on the bus?
On Friday 25 April, LRMN joined Citizens UK and other community groups at City Hall for a powerful and creative bus rally. Our message was clear: our friends seeking asylum deserve accessible bus travel in London.
The rally, themed around butterflies to symbolise freedom and growth, brought colour and energy to the steps of City Hall.
Asylum seekers who are 18 – 60 years old and do not identify as having a disability are currently barred from accessing free public transport, making it incredibly difficult to carry out basic daily tasks – from dropping children off at school, to attending GP appointments, to taking English classes.
At LRMN, we know that for people living on just £8.86 a week and stopped from working, even a single bus fare can be out of reach.
Public transport is not a luxury – it’s a necessity. When people can move freely, they can access the support and opportunities needed to rebuild their lives. With wings and bus travel, everyone can truly flourish!
We were honoured to be joined by London Assembly Members Andrew Boff, Elly Baker, and Caroline Russell. As a gesture of peace and hopeful friendship, we gifted each of them a plant – a symbol of what can grow when we stand together.
But change doesn’t happen from symbolic gestures alone. We must keep holding the Greater London Authority (GLA) to account so that promises turn into policies.
We’ve celebrated some amazing wins on free bus travel for asylum-seekers thanks to our dedicated campaigners with lived experience.
As part of our campaigning with Citizens UK, Transport For London has committed to Application Registration Cards (ARC) being accepted as proof of ID for all asylum-seekers by the end of this year! This was one of our big asks which is going to make it much easier for our community members, who do not have access to traditional proof of ID documents like a passport, to access the disability scheme for example.
And in November 2024, the General London Assembly passed a motion in support of our call to make bus travel free and accessible for all people seeking asylum in London!
But there is much work that still needs to be done. Our message to the GLA, Mayor of London and TfL remains: Is there room on the bus for all of us?