First Bus bans under-16s in Stoke-on-Trent travelling alone after 6pm after disorder

One incident involved more than 100 young people acting in an ‘intimidating and aggressive way’ at Hanley bus station in the city centre. Photograph: TC/Alamy

For some, it is a quotidian nuisance that inevitably occurs when you are in the vicinity of teenagers. For others, it is an expression of modern-day lawlessness among young people.

Whatever view you take, antisocial behaviour on public transport has become a hot debate – and with the introduction of free bus travel for kids aged 5 to 15 across England during August, matters have come to a head in Staffordshire.