YP Card young person's bus pass
Working in partnership with the government, we have launched a discounted bus travel scheme to help young people travel around the local area more cheaply. If you are a young Central Bedfordshire resident aged under 19 you can now apply for a YP Card. This will allow you to pay a maximum £1 single fare on any single bus journey within Central Bedfordshire and to some nearby towns and cities, as long as your journey is direct and starts or finishes in Central Bedfordshire.
The YP Card is available for all young residents of Central Bedfordshire aged 18 and under and can be used to make as many journeys as you like at the discounted £1 maximum single fare!
The YP Card may also entitle you to other travel discounts in the future.
There are two types of YP Card:
- if you're under 16: a green YP Card, up to your 16th birthday
- if you're 16 or over: an orange YP Card for up to your 19th birthday
Applying for your YP Card
To apply:
- you must be aged 18 or under, and live in Central Bedfordshire
- if you are under 16, you will need to ask a parent, guardian or carer to apply on your behalf
- if you are aged between 16 and 19, you can apply yourself, although you are welcome to ask a parent, carer or guardian to apply on your behalf
- you will need to provide proof of your date of birth, e.g. a birth certificate or passport. This should be scanned or photographed in JPG or PDF format, clearly showing your date of birth
- you will need to provide your full postal address and a contact email address
- you will also need a good quality digital photo/passport style image of yourself, ready to upload or capture. You can use the camera on your smartphone, tablet or PC to do this. Your photo should clearly show your whole face in front of a plain background with no-one else visible in the picture. Photos should ideally be in JPG format and must be no more than 5MB in size
Please note: when you submit your application, we will use address checking software to check that the address given is within Central Bedfordshire.
Please email public.transport@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk if you need help with your application, or if you cannot complete it online.
Once you have submitted your application, your YP Card will be sent to your home address within 10 working days. If your card has not arrived within this time, please let us know:
public.transport@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk.
If for any reason your application is unsuccessful, you will be notified via email. Should you wish to contact us about this, please email public.transport@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk.
If you apply for a Green YP Card within a month of your 16th birthday, your application will be rejected and you will be advised to apply for an Orange YP Card instead, which will be valid until your 19th birthday.
If you apply for an Orange YP Card within 2 weeks of your 19th birthday, your application will be rejected as our discounted travel scheme is only available up to your 19th birthday.
Please check your application very carefully and ensure that your photo and proof of age are clearly visible and are uploaded in the correct order. Please ensure all names and dates of birth match on both the application form and proof of age document. We cannot be held responsible for applications delayed due to mistakes being made on the submitted form. Due to the level of applications being received, it may take some considerable time for us to advise that your application has mistakes on it.
Using your YP Card
Your YP Card is valid 24/7, all year round, so can be used to travel to and from school or college, as well as at evenings and weekends.
Just show your YP Card to the driver when buying your ticket to qualify for the maximum £1 single fare. You will be able to pay your fare by cash, or by contactless card on many services. Your journey must start or finish in Central Bedfordshire to qualify for the discounted fare.
If you don't have your YP Card with you, you will be asked to pay the full fare.
What if your YP Card is lost, stolen or damaged?
If you've lost your YP Card, we can send you a replacement for a small administration fee of £5.
Pay for a replacement card (£5)
Please ensure that you clearly state in the message box that your payment is for a replacement YP Card.
If your card has been stolen please report it to the police in the first instance. If you obtain a Crime Reference Number from the police, we can replace your card free of charge. Please email us at public.transport@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk with these details, requesting a replacement card.
Our discounted travel scheme for young people is funded with part of the Bus Service Improvement Plan grant we have received from the Department for Transport (DfT).
The boring bits (terms and conditions)
Full terms and conditions for our YP Card and young person’s discounted travel scheme can be found below:
- Scheme title – Central Bedfordshire YP Card, hereafter referred to as 'the scheme'
- Scheme brand – The scheme brand for all public communication is 'YP Card'
- Description – The scheme enables eligible young people to purchase single bus fares at a discounted rate on presentation of a valid YP Card
- Eligibility – eligible young people aged between 5 and 18, with a primary residence within Central Bedfordshire may apply. Green YP Cards will be valid until the day before the holder’s 16th birthday. Orange YP Cards will be valid until the day before the holder’s 19th birthday. If you are almost 16, you will be able to apply for your orange YP Card up to a month before your 16th birthday. If you are almost 19, we will not be able to process applications for Orange YP Cards within two weeks of your birthday
- Geographical limits - The YP Card is valid on local bus journeys starting and/or finishing within Central Bedfordshire. You can also use your card to travel to or from the following destinations, providing your journey is direct and starts or finishes in Central Bedfordshire:
- Aylesbury
- Bedford Bus Station
- Bletchley
- Harpenden
- Hemel Hempstead
- Hitchin
- Letchworth Garden City
- Luton
- Milton Keynes
- St Albans
- Stevenage
- Times of operation – There are no restrictions on the time of day when the YP Card can be used
- Types of journey – There are no restrictions on the types of journey for which the YP Card can be used. A YP Card will get you a discounted fare of £1 maximum single fare on most local buses for journeys starting or ending in Central Bedfordshire. However, it is not valid on long distance coach services, dedicated school buses where special school fares already apply or services provided by community transport operators
- Ticket discount and restrictions – The YP Card will enable single bus tickets to be purchased for a maximum fare of £1. However, Central Bedfordshire Council may amend or withdraw the discounted travel scheme at any time
- Transferability
- The YP Card is for use solely by the individual named and pictured on the Card, and is not transferable
- The YP Card will be withdrawn if used by anyone other than cardholder. Any misuse may result in criminal proceedings
- YP Cards are issued subject to the conditions of the Scheme. The card remains the property of Central Bedfordshire Council
- Application of discount on bus
- The card holder is required to present their YP Card to the driver to obtain the relevant discount
- Any passenger unable to present a valid card will be required to pay the full fare
- The YP Card is not valid if altered or defaced in any way
- YP Card holders are required to inform Central Bedfordshire Council immediately in the event a card is lost or stolen to enable a replacement card to be issued
- Conditions of carriage – Each bus company's conditions of carriage will apply when travel is made with the card on their services
- Scheme duration – Green YP Cards are valid until the day before the holder’s 16th birthday. Orange YP Cards are valid until the day before the holder’s 19th birthday. Central Bedfordshire Council may amend or withdraw the discounted travel scheme at any time
- Card issue
- Applicants are required to provide a recent passport sized colour photo
- All information is provided in good faith by the applicant
- Applications which are found to have been made using false information will not be issued with a card, or any existing card holders found to have acted fraudulently will result in the withdrawal of their card
- Any breach of these conditions may render the applicant liable to prosecution
- Replacement cards will be issued at a cost of £5 within 10 days of receipt of notification. Where a police crime number is provided in the case of stolen cards, a replacement card will be issued free of charge
- Central Bedfordshire Council is not liable for any discount whilst an application or replacement is being processed
- Cards remain the property of Central Bedfordshire Council and should be destroyed on expiry or termination of the scheme
- Change of address – Card holders are required to inform Central Bedfordshire Council of any changes to their primary address. If the new address is outside Central Bedfordshire, the card will no longer be valid and must be surrendered.
- Exclusions
- The card is not valid on long distance coach services, dedicated school buses where special school fares already apply or services provided by community transport operators
- The card does not provide proof of age
- The card does not entitle or guarantee carriage on any bus service at any time, or give rise to expectation of the continuation of existing services or provision of new services
- Central Bedfordshire Council will not be responsible for any losses or damage suffered when travel is made with the card
- Central Bedfordshire Council reserves the right to amend terms and conditions from time to time and to withdraw or otherwise amend the discounted travel scheme
