ONE million journeys have been made by youngsters since the launch of the Barnsley MiCard scheme in August.

Young people are able to access free bus travel from Monday to Sunday, between 7am and 9pm, as long as the journey starts or ends in the Barnsley area and is within South Yorkshire as part of the initiative.

Almost 18,000 people have or are in the process of receiving their card, with numbers rising ‘every week’.

Almost two-thirds of the one million journeys occurred in the borough’s three most deprived neighbourhoods, benefiting those who need it most.

Sir Steve Houghton, leader of Barnsley Council, said: “The MiCard is making a huge difference to our young residents and families, and it’s great to see that the take up is continuing to rise.

“By offering free bus travel for under 18s, the scheme not only eases financial pressures on families but also opens up greater access for children and young people to the many opportunities available across Barnsley and South Yorkshire.

“With the newly-opened Base71 youth zone just opposite Barnsley Interchange, the MiCard is helping children and young people from across the borough travel more easily and independently to these fantastic new facilities.”

The MiCard scheme was made possible thanks to a £5m investment from Barnsley Council, alongside an additional funding of up to £1m from South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA).

All local bus operators in Barnsley - including Stagecoach, Globe Holidays, South Pennine Community Transport, Hodgsons Travel, Chad Healey European, LL Travel and Wilfreda Beehive - are participating in the scheme.

Passengers can use Barnsley MiCard on services provided by any of these operators where the route is on the public network.

Oliver Coppard, Mayor of South Yorkshire, added: “We made a big step forward in relaunching MiCard in Barnsley and there are a million good reasons why we did it.

“The two-year pilot is one of the first of its kind in the country and after just a few months it’s already doing exactly what we hoped it would.

“It’s opening doors for young people, helping them to get to school, keeping bus services running and taking traffic off the roads.

“That’s why I’ll continue to work to bring back free travel for under 18s beyond that pilot, for the long-term, not just in Barnsley but across South Yorkshire.

“Our next generation deserve the best start in life.

“Giving them the freedom to get where they want to go is one simple but vital way we can give them that chance.”