Sixth form students in North Shields donned their parents' clothes to protest over “ridiculously expensive” bus fares.
Pupils at St Thomas More Catholic Sixth Form have pleaded with bosses at Arriva to bring in cheaper ticket prices for 16 to 19-year-olds. While other bus companies Go North East and Stagecoach, as well as the Tyne and Wear Metro, set a flat £1.20 single ticket rate for 16 to 19s, sixth formers at St Thomas More have to pay a full adult price to take the Arriva-run 308, 306, and 53 routes to and from school.
Urging Arriva to match that offer, a group of youngsters made their way to the company’s Newcastle depot last week dressed in professional outfits and oversized clothes borrowed from their parents – a demonstration designed to show that they should not be forced to pay the same fares as wage-earning adults. A ticket on the 308 bus to get them from the North Shields school to the bus HQ in Jesmond cost them £2.80.
School chaplain Michael Thompson said: “For years and years we have been saying that buses are ridiculously expensive. But when our pupils go into sixth form they are suddenly made to pay an adult fare, which does not make sense to them. They are still in full-time education and a lot of them will only earn a child’s minimum wage from their part-time jobs.”
While Arriva does offer a reduced price day ticket for 16 to 19s charged at £3.40, this is still more than other bus operators and there is no single ticket equivalent discount – something which could save students £190 over the academic year if introduced in line with Go North East, Stagecoach, and the Metro. Discounted monthly or annual tickets are also available, but Mr Thompson said many families cannot afford to pay the high upfront cost of those.
The group of pupils met with Arriva commercial director Kim Purcell about their campaign, which has had the backing of North of Tyne mayor Jamie Driscoll, and Mr Thompson said the discussion last Tuesday was “really positive”. He added: “They listened to us and our students shared their stories. There was no real commitment from Arriva but we are hopeful that they will work with us.
"Kim Purcell was very amenable and I think we are more hopeful now that there will be a change. It was really inspiring to see these young people engaged with civil matters and pushing for change to make a big difference in their lives.”
As part of a Bus Service Improvement Plan for the North East, transport leaders want to introduce a region-wide £1.20 single ticket and a daily cap of £2.50 for young people across all public transport systems. The North East was awarded more than £160m to make a raft of improvement to services, but it is far lower than the £804m that had been bid for – meaning many many projects will have to be shelved.
Ms Purcell said: “I was very pleased to meet with a group of young people who care so passionately about public transport and hear their concerns over affordability. We discussed how we are working with Transport North East to deliver the exciting ambitions of the Bus Service Improvement Plan which, subject to Government funding, aims to reduce fares for young people.
“In the meantime, Arriva offers a range of Young Persons tickets including; Day, Week, 4-Week or Annual tickets which are available for various zones and can be purchased by anyone up to the age of 19 or even those in full-time education who are older than 19. The Young Person day ticket valid within Tyne & Wear is just £3.40 and can be used all day, and the Arriva Teencard can be used for a maximum £1 single fare on weekends, school holidays and even on school days after 6pm by anyone up to the age of 19.”
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