News Release Page Title

23 July 2001

ELIGIBILITY FOR SCHOOL TRAVEL PASSES TO BE EXTENDED

Regional Development Minister, Gregory Campbell, MP MLA, has taken action to ensure that all schoolchildren will be entitled to travel at half-fare rate on public transport starting in September.

The Minister explained that under previous arrangements, children who turned 16 during July and August had to pay the full adult fare for their school travel passes, even though the law required them to attend school until the end of the following June. However, their classmates, whose 16th birthdays fell after the start of the new school year, could still purchase school travel passes at the half-fare rate.

Mr Campbell said: "This situation was clearly unfair and, once it was brought to my attention, I took immediate steps to change the travel concession scheme. From September onwards, all children will be eligible for half-fare travel until they finish their compulsory schooling.

"Children, who reach 16 during July and August and have already paid the full adult rate for their Translink school travel pass for the next school year, will be eligible for a refund. They, or their parents, should contact the Translink office which issued the pass."

All schoolchildren who are not provided with free travel to and from school by their Education and Library Board will be able to travel at a half-fare rate on public transport until they reach the end of their compulsory schooling. This travel concession, which starts in September, is funded by the Department for Regional Development and will apply until 30 June following a child’s 16th birthday.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

  1. The Northern Ireland Concessionary Fares Scheme, which is funded by the Department for Regional Development, provides half-fare travel on scheduled bus and rail services for men and women aged 65 and over, war-disabled pensioners and children up to the end of the school year in which they reach their sixteenth birthday. People who are registered blind can travel free. From 1 October 2001, men and women aged 65 and over will also be able to travel free.

  2. Until the review by the Minister, the concession for children over the age of 16 had applied only to those reaching their sixteenth birthday during the school year running from September until the following June. Those children who reached sixteen during July and August had to pay the full adult fare.

  3. Children whose sixteenth birthday falls on or after 2 July in any year are required by law to attend school until 30 June in the following year.

  4. Children who are not eligible for free school travel paid for by the Education and Library Boards can purchase a Translink travel pass for journeys between home and school. These travel passes are charged at a half-fare rate to children qualifying under the Concessionary Fare Scheme. A further discount is also available from Translink when the travel pass is purchased in advance.

  5. As well as benefiting from free or half-fare travel on journeys to and from school, children of compulsory school age are also eligible for half-fare concessionary travel on other scheduled bus and rail services.