Northern train operator has teamed up with Turton School to combat fare dodging by children - and save parents hundreds of pounds in train journeys sending youngsters to and from school by train.

The train company has launched educational season tickets.

Many of Bolton’s secondary school children will be using trains to get to and from school when they reopen in September.

The train operator has teamed-up with 124 secondary schools and university technical colleges across its network to offer the special season ticket, which offers their students up to 75 per cent off the normal adult fare.

Turton School in Bromley Cross is one of these partners. Children at the school have previously been among the worst for fare dodging.

An 'education season ticket' (EST) could save parents or guardians around £300 throughout the year when compared to buying a child’s anytime day return.

A standard child anytime day return from Bolton to Bromley Cross costs £2.25, meaning that if a child does that journey for each of the 195 school days a year, parents will be paying £438.75.

An EST costs £138, equating to an annual saving for £300.75, which works out as 71p a day.

Mark Powles, customer and commercial director at Northern, said: “Parents can save hundreds of pounds per year by investing in an Education Season Ticket at the start of the academic year.

“They’ll also be able to rest assured their child will always have the means to get to and from school – and they won’t have to scramble around for the train fare each morning.”

An EST offers unlimited travel between two stations and are valid seven days a week so they can be used at weekends and during the holidays – not just the 195 days per year that schools are open.

Last month, Northern named and shamed Turton School in Bromley Cross as being one of the top five schools to have students caught fare dodging on its services.

Turton School on list for number of pupils who travel without train ticket

Northern believe that the EST is a better alternative to giving children money as they say that some students decide to pocket the money and take the risk of travelling without a ticket.

Mr Powles said last month: “It’s important they know that fare evading is a criminal act and, in the future, they could end up with a criminal record for the sake of paying the, heavily discounted, student fare.”

For information about EST's and participating schools, visit www.northernrailway.co.uk/tickets/educational-season

If parents of children whose school is not on the list want more information they can email education@northernrailway.co.uk. 

 

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