Under-18s in South Yorkshire get smartcard ticket upgrade

South Yorkshire’s TravelMaster has replaced the discounted under-18s paper ticket with a smartcard.

From April 2018, TravelMaster, responsible for delivering and managing multi-operator ticketing in South Yorkshire, will be introducing smart tickets as the default method to purchase and use the discounted GetAbout range for young people.

Instead of paper tickets, GetAbout tickets will be loaded to a MegaTravel or 16-18 Travel Pass when bought on-board most buses, all trams and, for the first time, from ticket vending machines located at interchanges throughout the county.

Matt Smallwood, General Manager of TravelMaster, said: “Our customers have enjoyed the great value offered by our GetAbout range for a number of years and I am delighted that these tickets are now joining the rest of our range in being issued to a smartcard.

“We’ve made great progress delivering smart ticketing in the region with over 34 million journeys made using TravelMaster products on smartcards since their introduction in 2014. We issue over 7 million days’ worth of travel a year onto more than 130,000 active smartcards and these numbers will continue to grow even more impressively with the addition of GetAbout.”

GetAbout tickets offer unlimited travel throughout South Yorkshire on the majority of buses and all trams for just £8 a week or on the majority of buses, all trams and all trains with a GetAbout+ for just £13.10 a week.