Young people on Merseyside are set to benefit from cheaper travel after Merseytravel and bus operators recently committed to develop a £2 flat fare all-day bus ticket which could reduce the cost of travel by more than 50 per cent.
At a recent event held at Merseytravel’s offices, I joined local authority leaders and representatives from education establishments to hear the announcement as part of the launch of the Merseytravel-led initiative ‘Fare Enough: A fair deal for young people’.
Subject to details being finalised, the ticket, a Merseytravel product developed in partnership with bus operators, will be available for those 16 and under to buy on the bus from April for a trial period.
The £2 ticket will be the most flexible product available for young people. It will be able to be used all day and comes ahead of Merseytravel undertaking a full review of its pre-paid ticketing scheme.
The event reinforced the importance of transport for young people and highlighted some of the issues that they face, the development of a £2 ticket is a step in the right direction and shows what can be done by working together to find affordable solutions.