Teenagers will be told to ‘stand up for their elders’ on public transport – or risk losing their right to free travel.
London Mayor Boris Johnson will unveil plans today to make youngsters sign a ‘courtesy pledge’ to promise to behave in a respectful manner when travelling in the capital.
The three-point pledge states that they will give up their seats to the elderly, pregnant and disabled; refrain from using offensive or threatening language; and be courteous and polite to fellow passengers and staff.
Those who refuse, or are caught behaving in a loutish manner, will have their free travel passes removed.
The plan – a key part of Mr Johnson’s re-election bid – will initially affect the 400,000 11-to-15-year-olds in London who qualify for free travel cards, but Tory sources believe the idea could be used across the country.
A Conservative insider said: ‘The initiative chimes perfectly with the push to create a Big Society. It is about changing culture and expectations around behaviour to improve the atmosphere on buses and trains for everyone.’
Speaking before today’s launch, Mr Johnson said he was determined to tackle the anti-social behaviour of a ‘minority of youngsters’ on public transport.
‘When I was a boy, I was taught to stand up for those less able to,’ he said. ‘Youngsters enjoy the privilege of free travel, which is paid for by Londoners, but they have to understand that with that privilege comes responsibility.
Anyone who abuses this privilege will have it taken away, and will have to earn that right back.’
Teenagers found guilty of a serious breach of the new behaviour code will lose their travel passes, and will have to carry out unpaid community work to have them restored.
Mr Johnson is also introducing a ‘two strikes and you’re out’ policy to deal with repeat offenders, under which those committing a second serious breach of the code will lose their travel rights permanently.
The move follows an earlier initiative of Mr Johnson’s that banned the consumption of alcohol on public transport in the capital, which is credited with helping to drive down crime rates on buses and trains.
(Read by Emily Cheng. Emily Cheng is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)
双语资讯
(Agencies)
英国伦敦近日出台新规，要求青少年乘坐公共交通时主动给老人让座，否则会失去免费乘坐公交车的待遇。
伦敦市长鲍里斯•约翰逊将于今日公布这一计划，促使青少年签署“文明宣言”，承诺在伦敦出行时讲文明讲礼貌。
宣言包括三点内容：给老年人、孕妇和残疾人让座；不使用攻击性或威胁性语言；礼貌对待乘客与乘务人员。
不愿签署宣言或因行为不当被抓“现行”的青少年，将被没收免费乘车卡。
这是约翰逊竞选连任计划的重要组成部分，将首先涉及伦敦大约40万名11岁至15岁的青少年，这些青少年享有免费乘车卡，但英国保守党消息人士认为，这一举措也许可以推向全国。
一位保守党知情人士说：“这一举措与当前英国正在倡导的创建“大社会”协调一致，通过改变青少年的行为文化和人们对此的期待值，来改善汽车和火车上的气氛。”
在今天宣布实行这一举措之前，约翰逊说，他有决心制止“少数青少年”在公共交通上的反社会行为。
他说：“我还是孩子时，大人们教导我要给行动不便的人让座。青少年享受免费乘车的便利，车费由伦敦市民买单。但他们应该明白，权利与义务相辅相成。”
“任何人若滥用，权利将被剥夺，必须付出努力才能重新得到。”
严重违反这一新规的青少年将被没收乘车卡，必须在社区做义工才能重新要回卡片。
约翰逊表示对屡教不改的青少年，还将实行“二振出局”的政策。如果违反两次规定，乘车卡将被永久没收。
约翰逊之前曾发起一项禁止在伦敦的公共交通上饮酒的措施，认为此举可以降低火车与公交车上的犯罪率。