New railcard to cut fares for 16-17 year olds

14 August 2019

Commenting on the new 16-17 railcard costing £30 and to be made available from 9am on Tuesday 20 August, David Sidebottom, director at the independent watchdog Transport Focus, said today:

“The arrival of a railcard for 16-17 year olds is welcome news for young passenger who consistently tell Transport Focus through its research they resent being charged adult fares after turning 16 when they must remain in education until their 18^th birthday.

“The new railcard will take some edge off the cost of commuting to school and college. It’s good that the 50% discount that this offers will apply to peak period and season tickets, but it would be better if this card also covered the entire sixth form period. As it stands students turning 18 early in their second year of studies will lose this valuable discount.

“Young passengers will also hope the rail industry has learnt the lessons of nationwide roll out for the 26-30 railcard when passengers were unable to access the website.

“Likewise, with regulated fares set to go up again next January, it’s absolutely critical the rail industry delivers a more reliable day-to-day service.”

 

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