Author: Paul O'Sullivan

As you are aware it is fast approaching the end of the current academic year and the new academic year will be on us soon after. Travel South Yorkshire (TSY) are promoting the benefits of their free travel passes to people aged 18 and under and encouraging young people and parents to apply for a concessionary pass.

Concessionary travel passes provide proof of eligibility to travel for a concessionary fare of 80p per single journey on bus and tram, and half fare on Northern trains inSouth Yorkshire. 

Additionally, pass holders are eligible to purchase a range of discounted daily, weekly and 28-day tickets from bus and tram operators, including prepaid tickets offering unlimited travel across South Yorkshire.

Eligibility

Travel passes are available to young people aged 18 and under who live in South Yorkshire.  Early application is encouraged in order to benefit from discounted travel over the Summer holidays.

How to apply

The quickest way to apply for a pass is online by creating a MyTSY account. Full details on how to apply can be found at www.travelsouthyorkshire.com.

TSY aim to dispatch each pass within 11 days of receiving a completed online application if all details are correct.

If customers are unable to apply online, we are asking them to please give their Traveline team a call on 01709 515151, between 7am and 7pm Monday to Friday or 8am and 7pm Saturday and Sunday, and they will happily talk them through their options.

New travel pass designs

TSY are refreshing their young people’s pass designs to bring them up to date and make them more attractive to the target audience. The new ‘Zoom’ suite of youth travel passes will be launched this summer as follows:

• Zoom Under 16
• Zoom 16-18
• Zoom Zero – the new zero fare pass design, is to be implemented for the new academic year in 2021/2022.

The Zoom suite of young people’s passes will replace the existing MegaTravel and 16-18 Travel Pass designs. The launch will be supported by integrated, targeted marketing activity to drive applications and usage, which in turn will support recovery. This will also include activity to aid driver awareness and education of the new Zoom product range.

MegaTravel and 16-18 Travel Passes will continue to be issued until the new Zoom product range has been launched and will remain valid until their expiry date. There is no need for customers to apply for a replacement Zoom pass. 

New 18-21 concession

To help with the region’s recovery post-pandemic, the Mayor of South Yorkshire Dan Jarvis announced an extension to SYPTE’s young person’s travel concession to include those between 18 and 21 years old. The concession will allow passengers with a valid Zoom Beyond 18-21 Travel Pass to travel for 80p per single journey on bus and tram within South Yorkshire, from 21 June 2021 to 20 June 2022. The pass will expire either on 20 June 2022 or the day before the person’s 22^nd birthday, whichever is sooner.  

• Zoom Beyond – 18-21 concession product will be implemented from Monday 21 June 2021. Applications will open on 7 June.

Further information regarding the Zoom Beyond Travel Pass can be found at www.travelsouthyorkshire.com/ZoomBeyond

Encouraging early pass applications from young people aims to support the Covid-19 patronage recovery strategy, which launches this summer to re-build customer confidence in public transport and get customers back onboard. 

TSY will automatically issue existing 16-18 Travel Pass holders with a new Zoom Beyond 18-21 Travel Pass during week commencing 31 May, though they should continue to use their 16-18 Travel Pass until it expires on 31 July.