AS FAMILIES across Leicester prepare for the start of the new academic year, Leicester Buses is reminding young people that they can travel for less with its range of child and student flexi tickets.
Designed to make regular bus travel simpler and better value, flexi tickets give young people access to services across participating Leicester Buses operators, providing greater choice over the bus they catch without having to stick to one bus company.
For school-age passengers aged 11 to 16, child flexi tickets cost £49 for four weeks or £540 annually, helping families manage the cost of regular journeys to school and beyond.
For young people aged 16 to 18 travelling to college, sixth form or university, the recently introduced Student Flexi costs £68 for four weeks or £575 annually.
The annual Student Flexi is £37 cheaper than last year's equivalent ticket and, as Leicester moves towards ‘one network, one ticket’, students can use participating operators rather than needing to buy separate single-operator tickets.
The tickets are part of the Leicester Buses Partnership wider One Network programme, bringing Leicester City Council and the city's bus operators together to create a simpler and more integrated network.
Through common ticketing, co-ordinated services, improved passenger information and continued investment in electric buses and infrastructure, the partnership is working to make travelling by bus across Leicester electric, frequent, reliable, easy and great value.
Councillor Geoff Whittle, assistant city mayor for environment and transport, said: "As young people across Leicester return to school, college and university, we want travelling by bus to be one of the simplest parts of their day.
"Our child and student flexi tickets provide young people and their families with a straightforward, great-value option for regular travel, while giving passengers the freedom to use services from participating operators across the Leicester Buses network.
"Making bus travel simpler, more affordable and easier to understand is at the heart of our One Network approach. By improving ticketing and giving passengers more choice, we're making it easier for more young people to choose the bus for their everyday journeys."
The flexi ticket range forms part of wider work by Leicester City Council and local bus operators to make public transport more affordable and accessible. Leicester City Council is using Government bus grant funding to support reduced flexi fares as part of the partnership's ambition to improve passenger choice and deliver better-value travel.
Child and student flexi tickets can be purchased through participating operators. For full details of ticket prices, eligibility and where to buy, visit: www.leicesterbuses.co.uk