Young people in Alveston benefit from reduced bus fares (From Gazette Series)

Young people in Alveston benefit from reduced bus fares

3:30pm Monday 8th February 2010

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(1)

YOUNG people in Alveston are the first to enjoy new youth concessionary bus fares.

Teenagers aged between 14 to 18 years from the village can now take advantage of half-adult fares on all evening, weekend and school holiday journeys.

A typical bus journey will now cost £1 to £2 using the new card.

The initiative is part of a new youth concessions scheme being introduced by South Gloucestershire Council.

George Tanner, 14, UK Youth Parliament member for South Gloucestershire, said: "It will be useful for travelling to shopping centres and other places so that I don’t have to rely on my parents for a lift."

Marlwood School is the first to trial the scheme and the council is continuing to work with other schools in the district until the full scheme, to be called Youth Unltd, launches later in the spring.

Keith Geary, head teacher, said: "This is excellent news for our students. The new scheme will enable those involved to be more independent and potentially enable access to leisure and work opportunities which they may not have been able to previously."

The local authority has allocated £1.2 million towards the scheme, which was designed following extensive consultation and in response to requests for reduced fares from young people within the district.

The council hopes improving access and affordability to public transport will give young people greater freedom to take part in a range of social, leisure and recreational activities.

Cllr John Calway, leader of South Gloucestershire Council, who helped hand out the first batch of passes, said: "I am proud that South Gloucestershire is one of just a handful of councils in the country who have actively addressed the issue of the affordability of public transport for young people between 14 and 18 years old."

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(1)