Buses for University of York students with children now completely free on campus services

Children of student parents at the University of York can now travel for free on campus buses.

The change came following a York SU campaign.

Students’ children had previously been charged for travel, despite parents being exempt within the university’s free zone.

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‘The change to allow kids of student parents to go free is common sense’

Speaking on the change, Sam Dickinson, the SU’s Community and Wellbeing Officer, said: “The change to allow kids of student parents to go free is common sense. Student parents already have greater responsibilities and to charge them for looking after their kids made no sense and was totally unfair. This change we lobbied for rightfully puts pounds back into their pockets so they can spend on things that matter.”

Adding that there is still room for improvement, Sam said: “But there is always more work to do on buses. York has a relatively weak student bus offering. York only has student tickets on the university buses, whereas other cities like Sheffield have region-wide student concession tickets valid on all buses in the network. First can start by offering a student ticket on the number 6 bus which goes up to Clifton, as students are living further and further away due to the sky-high rent in York.

“We will continue to push hard on making public transport work for students so they can get to work, uni, and recreation without breaking the bank.”

The decision follows other student campaigns in recent years, after First Bus previously abolished the campus free zone on the 66 and 67 routes and increased fares by between 22 and 26 per cent. The York SU campaigned against the changes, leading to the free zones later being reintroduced.

The change also reflects a wider shift across the city. Under the York Bus Service Improvement Plan, children under 16 who are accompanied by a paying adult can now travel for free on buses across York, as part of a new youth fares scheme, suggesting momentum is growing towards fairer transport costs for families citywide.

Featured image via YouTube