A Hull youth travel card will launch next month offering discounted public transport to young people across the city.
From April 1, the KAT Hull Card will give those aged 19 and under the freedom and flexibility to travel across Hull and parts of the East Riding for just £11 a week.
Members of Hulls Youth Parliament met with local bus companies and Hull City Council to put forward a proposal on how they could work together to reduce the cost of bus travel for young people across the city.
Following discussions it was agreed that the Council, Stagecoach and EYMS would jointly fund a youth travel card offering a discount of 20 per cent to young people living in Hull.
Councillor Martin Mancey, Hull City Councils portfolio holder for economic investment, regeneration and planning with responsibility for transport, said:
After meeting with members of the youth parliament is was refreshing to hear about some of the great ideas they had in order to improve public transport for young people.
We understand that costly bus fares can often limit students who are still in education and training, so we wanted to try and give them the freedom and independence to travel across Hull in a cost-effective way.
As a result of this, we decided to build on Hull Card, an existing commuter-friendly product which is valid on both Stagecoach and EYMS bus services, by using the income from bus lane fines to fund 50 per cent of the discount to make public transport more affordable for young people.
A standard Hull Card costs £13.80 per week or £717.60 per year, whereas the cost of a KAT Hull Card is just £11 per week, equal to £572 a year, giving the user a total discount of 20 per cent. Card holders will be able to travel across Hull, Cottingham, Wawne, Willerby, Kirk Ella, Anlaby and Hessle.
12-year-old Scarlett Rowland is a member of the Hull Youth Parliament, she said:
As part of a yearly poll which was given to young people (Make your Mark), we asked what issues affected them. One of the top issues was the cost of public transport. We then had meetings with the bus companies and Councillor Mancey to discuss a new bus pass for the youth of Hull and ways to make bus travel cheaper for them. They asked us think of a name for the new pass and I chose the name Kids and Teenagers pass (Kat Pass).
I came up with the name as it included those who could buy it, it was short and easy to remember and was different to the other passes Stagecoach and EYMS had already.
We (Ben, Kaitlyn, Paris and myself) all helped with the design by putting ideas forward. The bus pass will be 20 per cent cheaper for a weekly pass and will hopefully make travel easier for young people in the Hull region.
Bob Rackley, Commercial Manager for EYMS, said:
Teenagers love being able to travel around independently, without having to rely on lifts from their parents, so we hope that the new KAT Cards will help young people to get out and about to experience some of the great things the city has to offer.
Jon Donnelly, Commercial Manager for Stagecoach East Midlands said:
The KAT Card will offer teenagers a discounted, great value unlimited travel card which will allow them the ultimate freedom to travel around the City without the hassle and extra cost of paying individual fares on different buses. Working with our young customers is important as we try and encourage greener transport modes around the city for the future.
For more information on how to purchase a KAT Hull Card or please visit www.hullcard.com or call 01482 300 300.