ONE MILLION JOURNEYS MADE CHEAPER WITH MAYOR’S TRAVEL PASS

Published 25 March 2022 at 1:14pm

Mayor Jarvis’ travel discount has made one million public transport journeys cheaper for young people in South Yorkshire.

The special travel concession, offering 18–21-year-olds 80p single fares, was brought in by the South Yorkshire Mayor to help young people across the region recover from the effects of Covid-19.

Over 23,000 young people are now benefiting from cheaper travel in South Yorkshire with a Zoom Beyond 18-21 Travel Pass.

“Local leaders and I took the decision in 2021 to extend this concession to cover everyone aged 21 and under in South Yorkshire because, while the past couple of years have been tough on us all, it’s been particularly tough on our young people”, said Mayor Dan Jarvis.

“The offer was a great way to encourage people back on our buses and support our transport system. We need to make sure that passenger numbers return to pre-pandemic levels as quickly as possible so we can maintain the financial viability of the network and tackle the associated traffic congestion and air pollution that comes from a dependency on cars.

“During my time as Mayor, transforming public transport to deliver the system South Yorkshire deserves has been a top priority. I’m proud to have unlocked millions of funding to help achieve this, but also to have introduced schemes such as Zoom Beyond which brings real, practical changes that passengers benefit from.

“Reaching one million journeys milestone shows that, if the offer is there, people will take it up and make the most of it.”

The free Pass for 18–21-year-olds offers travel for 80p per single journey on bus or tram anywhere in South Yorkshire when shown to a bus driver or tram conductor when paying a fare.

A recent survey showed that Zoom Beyond saves pass holders money, makes it easier to access education, training and employment and encourages the use of buses and trams. Over 75% of 18 to 21 years old in South Yorkshire currently travel by bus and over half by tram at least once a month.

Zoom Beyond is valid on over 175 routes in South Yorkshire, on local services operated by First, Stagecoach, TM Travel, Powell’s and Supertram. Applications can be made at travelsouthyorkshire.com/ZoomBeyond.