We should not be surprised at the huge number of extra trips taken by pensioners as a result of the new free bus pass issued this year.

A universal scheme for free travel was always going to be attractive. Add into the equation the pull of Oxford, the squeeze on pensioner incomes and the big rise in petrol prices over the last 12 months and the result is a massive uptake.

The situation was foreseen by the city council but apparently not by the Government.

We say 'apparently' because we doubt that the Government was under any illusions about what might happen in a place like Oxford.

It had in its hands an attractive, vote-winning policy but only a certain amount of cash to pay for it.

As Westminster governments have been doing for a long time, it legislated and handed the responsibility over to local government without providing the proper funding.

It is the sort of stealth taxation that has seen council tax rise disproportionately over the last 15 years. Local authorities shoulder the blame in many cases for decisions over which they have no control.

The free bus pass is a good thing. It has encouraged more bus use in Oxfordshire. It should also encourage bus companies to provide more services to meet the demand.

There is, however, no such thing as a free service. Someone always has to pay. To achieve true transparency and accountability, it is the legislator that should pay. In this case, the Government should increase its grant to the city council to meet the actual cost of free travel.