The Bristol City of Sanctuary Transport Fund is a community initiative to fund transport for people seeking sanctuary in our city, who would otherwise not be able to access vital services and appointments.
Why this is important
A day pass for the bus in Bristol is £6.
The current support from the Home Office for people waiting for a decision on their asylum claim is £49.18 a week; just over £7 a day.
Asylum seekers who have been placed in Initial Accommodation Hotels where food is provided receive only £8.86 a week; barely £1 a day.
It doesn’t add up.
“The buses have become very expensive, even for a child’s ticket you have to pay. Why in London a child doesn’t pay but here they do? Even for a 4-year-old, they charge £1, and if you do not pay, he will not ride.”
Participant in research project led by Reem Elnady, UWE
Bristol is a big city and a lot of the important services for people seeking sanctuary are located centrally. This means many asylum seekers are forced either to walk for miles or to spend nearly all their allowance on bus tickets over essentials such as phone credit to speak with family members, printing costs for legal documents or suitable clothing.
Many of the people who benefit from our Sanctuary Transport Fund are destitute. Destitute asylum seekers have lost all their housing and financial support. They are not allowed to work and cannot return to the country they fled.
Alongside this, many of the people who receive the tickets are people who are required to sign at Patchway for immigration reporting. Without our tickets, they would have to walk over 5 miles to get to the station. The fund also reaches vulnerable refugees who are living on the outskirts of the city and who may have access needs that make it hard to travel into the centre of Bristol.
“The winter and the hill, it’s very difficult. I like walking, but walking both ways is very hard. I get back pain because when I came to England by bus, some young men accidentally fell on me and I had a back problem. So walking is very difficult.”
Participant in research project led by Reem Elnady, UWE
Above all, the Transport Fund enables people to access crucial legal and medical appointments, go to drop-in centres for meals or to reach places where they are volunteering. It also helps to combat isolation, allowing people to build networks that relieve the trauma of destitution, loss of home and identity and the pain of being disbelieved. These tickets are a vital lifeline for many, and a way to make a real difference to the day-to-day lives of those seeking sanctuary.
Supporting the Fund
All of us have the opportunity to change the day-to-day lives of those seeking sanctuary in Bristol in a really practical way. We welcome donations of any size from individuals, businesses and community groups*
Or make a direct bank payment:
Bank details:
Bristol City Of Sanctuary
Account no: 20414045
Sort code: 60-83-01
Unity Trust Bank PLC, Planetary Road, Willenhall, WV1 9DG
* Please note:
In the unlikely event that we raise more money than we can reasonably and efficiently spend on transport, we will put any surplus funds toward our wider work to ensure Bristol is a place of welcome and safety for people seeking sanctuary from war, violence and persecution.
