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Free bus travel helps thousands of young people take part in community projects

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Latest news in Yorkshire: September 05, 2018 10:57:48 AM

This summer thousands of young people from across the region have benefited
from free bus travel when taking part in the National Citizen Service (NCS)
programme in partnership with EFL Trust.

The two to four-week NCS programme, which is open to all 16 and 17-year-olds
across the country, consists of four phases; the first phase involves
outdoor team-building exercises and the second phase is a residential for
participants to learn ‘life skills’. The third phase is spent putting all
these new skills into practice when the teens plan and carry out a social
action project. Bus travel is an integral part of young people’s lives and
First South Yorkshire has offered free travel for the young people carrying
out their community projects over the past two years.

The partnership between First South Yorkshire and EFL Trust has been ongoing
since 2016 and has already had a positive impact on young people and their
ability to give back to the community. In South Yorkshire, NCS has been
delivered by several football clubs including Sheffield United, Sheffield
Wednesday, Rotherham United and Doncaster Rovers.
When asked about the benefits the free mTicket has provided, Yasmin Aziz,
who took part in the NCS programme in Rotherham, said: “I can travel with my
friends, which makes the social action project a lot more social and my
parents don’t have to pay for fuel anymore. I don’t see why anyone in our
generation wouldn’t use the mTickets app, it’s just so convenient and we all
live on our phones anyway!”
Cameron Boulding, summer 2018 NCS participant from Rotherham, added: “We get
to travel with our friends, so if we’re not sure where we’re going, we have
more confidence. There’s less pressure to have money ready [for the driver]
as you have the ticket ready on your phone. I’d be more likely to use
transport now, as it’s boosted my confidence, so it’s not as scary to get on
a bus.”
Allan Riggall, Head of Commercial at First South Yorkshire, said: “First
South Yorkshire is extremely pleased with the positive impact that working
with NCS has had on young people throughout the summer in Sheffield,
Rotherham and Doncaster. The partnership has allowed young people still in
education to travel safely, conveniently and free, to the activities. By
using our network, young people can benefit from unlimited bus travel, for
just £7 per week on the mTickets app. We look forward to our continued
involvement with NCS in the future.”
Charlotte Dinsdale, NCS Programme Manager, at EFL Trust: “We are delighted
to be able to continue our partnership with First South Yorkshire. This year
has been a huge success and allowed for young people taking part in NCS to
travel across South Yorkshire and supported over 100,000 hours of social
action in local communities. Not only do the tickets allow the young people
to deliver a social action project in their local community, but it also
gives them independence and boosts their confidence to use public transport
which is integral for teenagers.”

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