Thousands of young people in Wales have access to £1 bus tickets as a result of a new public transport.
From 1 September, passengers aged between 16 and 21 years old will have access to the discounted fares, which also includes a £3 “all-day” ticket.
All journeys across Wales on participating Welsh bus services will be included, as officials hope it will encourage wider use of public transport.
Providing a trip begins or ends in Wales, journeys up to, or from, the first bus stop in England, will be included in the scheme.
The Welsh government said £15m was being provided over two financial years to support the scheme as part of a budget deal with the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, Jane Dodds.
In November, the Welsh government will invest a further £7m to extend the scheme to five to 15-year-olds.
To purchase the tickets, eligible passengers must sign up for the free “mytravelpass” scheme, which provides proof of age to bus drivers.
Tickets can then be bought from the bus driver directly or on mobile ticketing apps. Whichever way the £1 ticket is purchased, the mytravelpass will still need to be presented to the driver.
As the scheme develops, Transport for Wales (TfW) hopes to introduce a “tap-on, tap-off” method of buying the tickets.
Cabinet secretary for transport and North Wales, Ken Skates, said: “This scheme will make a real difference to young people across Wales, and will allow them to make journeys for work, education and leisure at a discounted price.
“I would encourage those who don’t yet have a mytravelpass to apply so they can take full advantage of the scheme.”
The scheme is also touted to be economically and environmentally beneficial, with Mr Skates saying to BBC News that the initiative will reduce carbon emissions and tackle poverty.
Lee Robinson, executive director for regional transport at TfW, also told the news outlet they had already received more than 10,000 applications for the mytravelpass ahead of the scheme starting.
Free travel for under-22s is already available on buses in Scotland. Last month, MPs called on the government to introduce a similar scheme to England, arguing that it would improve access to “work and skills opportunities” and help “embed long-term public transport use”.
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