Like many young people living outside London, Hania Sulaiman is filled with envy when she visits the capital and uses public transport which is regular and reasonably priced – or even free of charge.
The 16-year-old who lives in Manchester, says she and many of her peers feel young people are penalised for not living in London as the high cost of public transport limits them from accessing opportunities.
However, a new scheme unveiled today aims to change that as Greater Manchester will become the first place outside London to offer free bus travel for school leavers and others aged 16 to 18.
Our Pass is a new card giving 16 to 18-year-olds in the city-region the freedom to travel to college, work and on nights out for free.
With a single bus journey currently costing young people in Greater Manchester £4, the scheme is set to save card holders and their families around £500 a year, as well as unlocking access to greater opportunities.
Sulaiman, who is chair of Greater Manchester’s Youth Combined Authority and was involved with other young people in helping develop the Our Pass idea, told HuffPost UK: “At the moment, young people outside of London are effectively being paid child wages but are expected to pay adult prices when it comes to public transport.
“The high transport prices do dissuade young people from using public transport. It also prevents them from accessing some of the great opportunities that exist in Greater Manchester as it is difficult for them to get there.”
When he was elected two years ago, mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham pledged to make the city-region the best place in the country for young people to grow up and progress.
Burnham recently called for a revolution in public transport in Greater Manchester to improve the region’s buses by adopting a London-style franchise system.
He has labelled it “scandalous” that a single bus journey across town costs young people £4 and has criticised the fact that there is a bus system which makes it financially advantageous for three or four young people to club together and use Uber rather than catch a bus.
He said: “Our Pass is now open for enrolment and I believe it can really change things for young people as well as more broadly getting people using buses again which will help us grow our bus market in the long run.
“It is declining here, whereas in London, there has been a doubling of people using the buses. They have proven that if you can provide a good bus service, more people will use it.”
Transport for Greater Manchester estimates 26% of the city region’s 16 to 18 population currently use buses as their primary mode of transport.
In a unique slant, Our Pass will also give young people a range of free or discounted sport, culture and leisure opportunities, such as free tickets for Halle concerts at the Bridgewater Hall.
Rose Marley, who leads the Our Pass scheme, says the pass is timed to coincide with a crucial moment in young people’s lives.
She told HuffPost UK: “As young people leave school at the age of 16, they face decisions that will shape the course of their lives – whether to undertake further study and training or whether to and where to get a job.
“Our Pass will tackle these challenges by giving young people a real freedom of travel and helping them to take up further learning or work as well as exposing them to the wealth of opportunities that exist in Greater Manchester by removing the barriers to travel.”
She added: “The ages of 16 to 18 is a key transition into adulthood and young people have to make important decisions and be more independent and free bus travel will make things easier for them.”
Marley says there is a huge disparity between the North and London when it comes to public transport and cost is a huge factor.
She said: “In London, everyone uses public transport. But in Greater Manchester, bus patronage is going down.
“This is down to a combination of reasons such as parents giving lifts, young people using Uber – but one of the big factors is that it is expensive.
“This leads to this vicious circle where bus usage is going down so prices have to go up.
“But we really need to get people back into the idea of using buses and public transport as greater use of cars is not good for the environment and also leads to gridlock.
“The Our Pass scheme aims to create a shift in public attitudes by introducing a whole new generation to regular bus usage.
“We also want to remove the financial barriers that prevent young people from doing things.”
Mayor Andy Burnham will launch a two-year pilot of the scheme today (July 1) with sponsors and supporters, together with young people who helped choose the name, design the card and contributed to how they want it to work. Applicants will be able to use the card from the beginning of September.
To ensure costs don’t fall entirely on taxpayers, the scheme is working with public and private sector partners to identify additional funding sources.
JD Sports have confirmed a six figure sponsorship deal for the pilot. The sports company will also provide a free lanyard and wallet for the card from its stores across Greater Manchester.
For young people like Sulaiman, the pass will open up a range of options. She said: “There are so many opportunities that exist in Greater Manchester, but often young people don’t access them because of high transport prices.
“Our Pass will be really important in allowing young people access to existing opportunities – whether that’s college, Sixth Form, a job interview or cultural opportunities.
“I myself will be eligible for the pass from September and am looking forward to it as I will be able to look for a job a bit further afield from home.”
She added: “One of the best things about Our Pass is that young people themselves have been involved in developing it.
“Too often, decisions are made about us, without us by adults.”
- Our Pass will be available for 16 to 18-year-olds who are residents of Greater Manchester. Applications go live today at ourpass.co.uk