MyTicket celebrates 1st anniversary with news it is a permanent travel product for young people
A pilot bus ticket to reduce the cost
of travel by up to 50% for young people has been so successful that it is to be
made a permanent product; just as it celebrates its 1st birthday.
MyTicket was unveiled by Merseytravel in partnership with commercial bus
operators a year ago for 5 to 15 year olds as an affordable option for unlimited
all day travel across the Merseyside bus network for just £2.
It was initially launched for a 12 month trial period and has proved to be such
a big hit with young travellers that it has been given the green light to
continue on a permanent basis.
Councillor Mark Norris, Lead Member for Customer and Corporate Social
Responsibility, said:- "We launched MyTicket a year ago following our
pledge to make transport more affordable for young people and it's fantastic
that we can announce on its first birthday that it will continue. I'm sure the
news that it is now a permanent ticketing product will be welcomed by young
people who have always been very positive about MyTicket. It's clear it's a
popular product that provides real value for money. This is just the start
of our journey to bring down the cost of travel and we want to look at what we
can do next to improve the offer for more young people."
Elisabeth Tasker, Managing Director of Stagecoach Merseyside and South
Lancashire, said:- "It's important for us to make bus travel as affordable
and convenient for young people as possible and we are pleased MyTicket has been
so well received. This is an excellent example of how working in partnership
with Merseytravel and other bus operators has provided tangible benefits to
passengers."
Howard Farrall, Area Managing Director Arriva Merseyside, added:- "MyTicket
has been a huge success and its great so many young people are travelling by bus
throughout Merseyside. We are delighted the ticket has been so well received."
Already more than 1 million MyTickets have sold and young people have hailed it
as a great way of getting out and about and meeting up with friends without
breaking the bank.
During a recent focus group with young people, schoolchildren from Rainhill and
Broadgreen schools gave lots of positive feedback, with comments including:
"£2…goes a long way",
"MyTicket is brilliant, don't ever stop doing it",
"I
love MyTicket because it's my ticket" and "MyTicket takes me
here, there and everywhere."
It is just 1 way that Merseytravel is working with partners to help young
people by removing potential barriers to access education, work and leisure
opportunities.
Options for extending MyTicket to the age of 19 are currently being explored due
to feedback from young people and the compulsory age of education increasing to
18 from September 2015.
For a list of the participating bus operators and also ideas on places to visit using MyTicket, visit Merseytravel's website.
