Greater Manchester teen bus pass to be funded by council tax

Greater Manchester residents are to see an increase in council tax to fund free bus travel for 16 to 18-year-olds, the region's mayor has announced.

The Opportunity Pass will be introduced from September and cost householders between £6 to £18 annually.

Mayor Andy Burnham said getting young people "into the good habit of using the bus" would cut future congestion.

A spokesman added the mayor wanted to "halt a decline in bus use" and spark "an increase in patronage".

David Sidebottom, director at the independent watchdog Transport Focus, welcomed the move and urged the mayor and operators to introduce "simple and intuitive" bus travel to "ensure they don't lose their customers of the future".

Mr Burnham said data showed travel costs "can be prohibitive for young people... so this pass will help us reduce the numbers not in education, employment or training".

He added that 32 million fewer journeys were being made by bus compared to 10 years ago, evidence that "the current system simply isn't working".

The extra funding will be in addition to the precept households pay to fund for fire services and the running of the mayor's office, which costs between £51.29 and £153.90, depending on which band a property falls into.

The mayor's proposed budget is due to be discussed on 25 January.

An increase of up to £24 on the £174.30 police precept for band D properties will be discussed at a meeting of Greater Manchester Combined Authority's Police and Crime Panel on 31 January.

Meanwhile, the region's transport body, Transport for Greater Manchester, said it would work with operators to reduce the impact of changes to services including withdrawals and reductions in frequency announced by private operators.