Young people in south London that lose their free travel privilege due to bad behaviour will soon be able to earn it back by getting their hands dirty and volunteering for environmental conservation work.

The Mayor has announced that from September "Earn your travel back" will mean young people in south London who have their Oyster Zip cards taken away can earn them back through volunteering to help London Wildlife Trust, v (the National Young Volunteers Service) or BTCV (formerly the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers).

Mr Johnson said: "Free travel is a wonderful privilege for thousands of young Londoners.

"The vast majority of young people in south London respect that privilege but TfL has no option other than to withdraw it from young people who choose to behave badly on public transport.

“This scheme will not be available for those youngsters that commit serious offences. But I believe young people who have caused problems on our buses and had their free travel taken away should be given the opportunity to earn it back in exchange for putting something positive back into their community.

"Rolling up their sleeves for a day on a conservation project could be an incredible experience for them and I am thrilled that we have been able to get some superb charities involved with this scheme."

Rachel Oliver, the Head of Programmes for v, said: "We see the scheme as a positive opportunity for young people to gain valuable skills and make a meaningful contribution to the community.

"Our research shows that young people who have volunteered in the past are more likely to do so in the future and that could be a really positive outcome of this."

Zip cards are validated up to 16 million times a month in the capital.

However TfL has withdrawn free travel from 3,620 youngsters for breaches of the behaviour code since the scheme was introduced in June 2008.

Free travel is withdrawn for a minimum of six months but young people will now be able to earn the privilege back by taking part in a day of environmental conservation work.

The exception is if free travel has been withdrawn as a result of criminal behaviour as the scheme is intended to deal with youngsters who have their travel withdrawn due to consistently bad behaviour such as bullying or the use of threatening language.

Steve Burton, director of community safety Enforcement and Policing at Transport for London said: “It’s good to see that Earn Your Travel Back is becoming a reality as it will support our existing efforts to tackle the sometimes inconsiderate behaviour of a minority of young people on buses and trams.”

Carlo Laurenzi OBE, chief executive of London Wildlife Trust, said "London Wildlife Trust is excited to be working in partnership with the Mayor on this compelling youth volunteering initiative.

"The project will give young Londoners the chance to make a real difference to our city’s natural environment.

"By choosing to volunteer to protect and maintain the capital’s valuable green spaces, the young people’s efforts will help open up these areas for the enjoyment of all Londoners".

Alan Marchant, senior operations manager, for BTCV London said: "BTCV offers thousands of environmental volunteering opportunities all over London. We believe volunteering is a great way to give something back to your local community and can encourage a sense of responsibility and public spirit."

The Mayor of London’s youth ambassador, James Cleverly, said: “This is a terrific way for young people to learn about responsibility and to improve the experience of bus travel for everyone. I applaud the Mayor for bringing a range of organisations together to focus on a common goal. I also hope that the youngsters who take part in this will get a taste for volunteering and make it a regular feature of their lives.”

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