Launched in November 2018, the Apprentice Travelcard allows young apprentices living and working in Liverpool City Region to get to and from work at a heavily discounted rate.

The card is available to those aged between 19-24, and provides half-price bus travel across Merseyside, in line with the reduced fares 16-19-year olds already enjoy.

The initiative is part of a Steve Rotheram’s drive to remove the barriers facing young people from following technical training routes into employment and is a joint venture between the Combined Authority and the Bus Alliance.

The Alliance is made up of Merseytravel, Stagecoach and Arriva and aims to ensure that the city region’s bus network in one of the best in the country.

The Apprentice Travelcard will allow holders to purchase weekly and four-weekly passes in line with great value ‘Solo’ fares for under-19s, allowing unlimited travel across the Merseyside bus network and potentially saving users more than £400 a year.

In order to be eligible for an Apprentice Travelcard, apprentices must be:

• Aged between 19 and 24
• Live in the Liverpool City Region
• Enrolled on an approved apprenticeship framework or standard with an Education and Skills Funding Agency

Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:

“Apprenticeships are a vital pathway into work for young people across the Liverpool City Region, leading to skilled and well-paid jobs. But we know that the cost of travel has been putting some off taking up these fantastic apprenticeship opportunities. That’s why I’m so pleased that we’ve been able to introduce this scheme to offer half-price bus travel, which could save hundreds of pounds a year for apprentices under the age of 25.

“More than £40 million of recent investment means that we have one of the best bus fleets outside of London, whilst the bus system itself is seeing strong growth in passenger numbers and consistently excellent customer satisfaction ratings. We know we can do better though, and the introduction of the Apprentice Travelcard is another important step towards creating an affordable, 21st century public transport system which works for everyone in Liverpool City Region.”

For more information on how you can apply for the Apprentice Travelcard, visit Merseytravel’s dedicated webpage.