SOUTH YORKSHIRE’S MAYOR SAVES 18-21 DISCOUNT THROUGH NEW AGREEMENT WITH FIRST, STAGECOACH AND TM TRAVEL

Published 10 October 2023 at 9:29am

South Yorkshire’s Mayor, Oliver Coppard, has welcomed the decision by three of the region’s bus operators to provide discounted travel for holders of the Zoom Beyond 18-21 Pass.

With the 80p concessionary fare due to be withdrawn from Wednesday 1 November, Mayor Coppard recently wrote to the commercial bus operators, asking them to intervene and help the county’s young people reach work and leisure opportunities that might be otherwise denied to them.

Mayor Oliver Coppard said: “I’m pleased that First, Stagecoach and TM Travel have agreed to introduce a new £1.50 flat fare to Zoom Beyond passholders. Their decision will bring certainty and stability to thousands of young people across our communities.

“It’s great to see the operators step up for people across South Yorkshire and match our ambition in supporting cleaner, greener, better ways for people to travel. I look forward to continuing to work together with our operators to deliver a bus network in South Yorkshire that our communities deserve.”

Jude Daniel Smith, who launched a petition to stop the scrapping of the Zoom Beyond pass, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to hear that Mayor Oliver Coppard and the operators have announced a new concessionary fare for Zoom Beyond pass holders. It’s a brilliant win for South Yorkshire’s young people and is only going to fill us with miles more motivation to keep campaigning and keep pushing to get more investment for our region’s bus network.

“We are totally behind the Mayor and MCA to keep fighting for a fair bus deal. We worked with them to campaign to get Zoom Beyond two years ago, and we’ve campaigned to keep a concession this time around. We will continue to rally round and push government to save the original Zoom Beyond fare and to invest more money into South Yorkshire’s vital public transport system.”

More information on Mayor Oliver Coppard’s fight for a fair bus deal, including public meeting dates and a petition launched by Better Buses, can be found at southyorkshire-ca.gov.uk/fair-deal.

A list of all the fares changes on bus and tram from 1 November is available at travelsouthyorkshire.com/farechanges.