• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

Have you got a Freedom Pass?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

If you choose to visit us at Romford at some point during your Mayoralty, you will discover there are public toilets at the station there but they are not accessible with a Freedom Pass because you cannot use Oyster cards, prepay or otherwise, to get through the gates at the station. That is a unique state of affairs on the surface rail network in London. As far as I know there is nowhere else where the ticket gates will not accept Oyster cards of any kind. I have been lobbying One Railway to get that changed. Will you join me...

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

Thank you for that reassurance.

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

The point that Val Shawcross is making is absolutely right. This is by and large not about leakage from people's own headphones and equipment, this is about people who aggressively use mobile phones and other equipment to play music out loud in order to intimidate fellow passengers. An online survey carried out showed that 73 per cent of the people who responded felt that they were too afraid to say anything about it to these people because they thought they were being provoked to cause an incident. I am pleased to hear about the campaign and I agree with the...

• Question by: Joanne McCartney
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

I attended my local over 50s forum in Edmonton a couple of weeks ago and they asked me to raise this with you as well. The reason they gave me for wanting posters on buses is that when asking people to turn their headphones down, to be able to point to a sign actually gives the public confidence to do that, and without it they do not have the confidence. Perhaps I could endorse my colleague's request that posters go at bus shelters and stands, but also on buses as well.

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

Something else that I am hearing from bus drivers is that the under 16s with the passes are no longer showing them when they get on the bus. The point I am making is that such a sanction is unenforceable if you are not going to check passes, so what will be done to make sure that the sanction is actually enforced?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

I am interested because you have a record of making promises on the forfeiture of cards issued and then finding there are problems with enforcing them, which takes time and sets up expectations which are not always met.

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

Thank you, Mayor. I was very surprised at the strength of the response that came back through my e-panel on this one and, in particular, how many young people also find it irritating. There is a sense in which playing music out loud on buses is a bit like graffiti, it is aggressive and it gives people a sense of they are not safe, it is not a controlled environment. I am pleased to hear what you say about the campaign on bus stops. I do want to have an assurance that TfL will address this seriously and I do...

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

They would forfeit their free travel concession on a first offence or would you keep a record of offences?

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 15 November 2006

I think this issue has grown up because of a technological change, something is available now that was not there before, and people do not think there are any ground rules, although actually there are. I think a much more blanket and assertive campaign to begin with would make people aware that there is a rule. Certainly it should be on the buses because one of the things that my survey revealed, sadly, is that people are probably more likely to move seats than they are to politely ask somebody to turn their music down or off. I think young...