More Young People to Benefit from b_line Scheme
Thousands more young people are to get help with travel costs after Derbyshire councillors gave the thumbs up to the new b_line scheme.
Plans have been approved to extend b_line − introduced in 2001 – to include all young people aged up to 19 living in Derbyshire. Previously only students in full-time education qualified for the reduction on adult bus and rail fares.
Now, from Saturday 1 August 2015, apprentices and those on training courses or looking for work will also qualify for the discount on local bus and train services – extending the benefit to an extra 6,000 young people.
Councillors also agreed to withdraw the travel discount for the under 16s who instead will qualify for the bus or train operators’ own cut-price tickets. In most cases these are currently better than or match the b_line discount.
Councillor Dean Collins, cabinet member for highways, transport and infrastructure, said:
“Since b_line started there are more options, other than more traditional study, open to young people and the extension of our b_line scheme, to include wider groups of young people, reflects this.
“b_line is an optional scheme and although we are having to make unprecedented cuts we recognise the importance of supporting young people in getting out and about, particularly when they may be making the challenging step from education to training or work.”
Under the new scheme the two types of card will be:
b_line1 − an orange card for 11 to 16-year-olds. This provides proof that the cardholder is entitled to a child fare or operators’ discount.
b_line2 − a purple card for 16-year-olds up to 19th birthday. This gets the cardholder 25 per cent off adult fares on all bus and train journeys in Derbyshire and on some trips to nearby towns and cities that start or finish within the county.
For those attending Derbyshire or Derby city schools new cards will, in most cases, be issued automatically through schools. Other eligible young people will need to complete a b_line application form.
b_line is run in partnership with Derby City Council. Both cards also entitle the cardholder to discounts at around 600 local shops and other businesses and to borrow at any Derbyshire or Derby City library.
