Anyone aged 21 and under will be able to benefit from cheaper fares on the Tyne and Wear Metro as from 7th May with the expansion of the Pop Blue smartcard. Currently available to those between 16 and 18 it will now be valid for those 21 and under.
The Pop Blue smartcard allows young people to travel for just £1 single and a maximum of £2.20 for unlimited daily travel. The move to expand the card to more people will make the Metro more affordable for anyone who is 21 and under.
For anyone under 19 this will mean fares will reduce from £1.20 to £1 and for those 19-21 a single ticket goes down from £2.30 to £1.
Huw Lewis, Customer Services Director at Nexus, said: “We are delighted to be able to deliver lower Metro fares for young people, which will see them paying just £1 per journey with a Pop card. This delivers a big saving and simplified fares for everyone aged 16 to 21. It’s a significant change in how young people pay for their Metro travel.
“Young people are our future customers. If we are going to have any chance of tackling the climate emergency we need to encourage young people to make public transport a permanent part of their lives for the future. That’s why we already have the Take the kids for free offer and are now introducing this simple £1 offer. It makes travel for under 19s a little bit cheaper, going down from £1.20 to £1. And now anyone aged 19 to 21 with a Pop card, not just students will see a fare reduction from £2.30 down to £1. It more than halves the price of a journey on all all-zone ticket.”
The Pop 19-21 card will be removed from sale from 7 May as well with the expansion of the Pop Blue validity.