Bus travel helps thousands of young people take part in community programme

Latest news in Yorkshire: August 21, 2017 12:02:19 PM


This summer thousands of young people from South Yorkshire will benefit from free travel when taking part in the National Citizen Service (NCS) programme in partnership with EFL Trust.


NCS provides the opportunity for 15 – 17 year olds to take part in exhilarating challenges to help build important skills for the future. More than 100,000 young people are taking part in NCS this Summer across the country. In South Yorkshire NCS is delivered by several football clubs including Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham United and Doncaster Rovers.


Bus travel is an integral part of young people’s lives, First South Yorkshire has offered free travel for the young people taking part in the projects. 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.


First South Yorkshire is part of the Rotherham Bus Partnership which brings together local bus operators First South Yorkshire, Stagecoach Yorkshire, Stagecoach East Midlands and TM Travel, South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) and Rotherham Council in a bid to improve the town’s bus services and attract more people onto public transport.


Melissa Foster, Summer 2016 NCS participant from Rotherham, said: "The free bus passes really helped on NCS as we were all able to get together to plan our social action project, and at the same time saving money each week on travel. This enabled us to all contribute as a group and effectively deliver our social action project to benefit the community."


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 £6 per week. 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. Last year was 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. This partnership will reward young people for their hard work and dedication as well as being an invaluable tool for them when it comes to planning and delivering a social action project in their local community."


NCS takes place within South Yorkshire, and is open to all 15-17 year olds for no more than £50.

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