Andy Burnham has announced an exclusive cycle hire offer for young people signed up to Our Pass, as it’s revealed more than £2.5 million worth of discounts and offers have been made available through the scheme since its launch.
The first 1,000 Our Pass members, who have activated their Our Pass Exclusives account, to sign-up to the new offer will get 50 minutes free cycle hire* in March, April and May with Greater Manchester’s cycle hire scheme.
The new offer will bolster the discounts and offers already available to young people through the Our Pass scheme, providing additional support during the cost of living crisis.
Now in its third year, Our Pass gives Greater Manchester’s 16-18 year olds, and care leavers aged 18-21 access to free bus travel and reduced tram travel as well as exclusive offers and experiences.
To mark the success of the scheme, and following feedback from young people, the announcement of the new exclusive offer coincides with the launch of a new app which makes it even easier for young people to access free and discounted culture and leisure opportunities across the city-region.
The app is free to download from the Android and Apple app stores. Young people with an Our Pass travel card will need to activate their exclusives account before using the app. They will then get instant on-the-go notifications and access to offers, events, prize-draws, discounts and experiences – many designed to support young people during the ongoing cost of living crisis.
For now, young people will still need to use their physical Our Pass membership card to get their free bus and discounted tram travel and present that on the vehicles whenever they travel – that’s until future plans and enhancements to the Bee Network come into play over the next few years to provide touch-in and touch-out with Contactless cards and devices.
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said:
“Young people need our support more than ever, especially during this ongoing period of increased cost of living crisis. I want to give young people an extra helping hand and I’m pleased we’ve been able to work with Transport for Greater Manchester and Beryl Bikes to bring this generous offer to Our Pass members.
“The new Our Pass Exclusives app, also announced today, will give young people simpler hands-on access this and the many other discounts and opportunities provided by businesses and local authorities in Greater Manchester.
“I’d encourage all schools and colleges in the city-region to encourage young people to sign up to the Our Pass scheme and make sure they have activated this invaluable part of their Our Pass membership and downloaded the app, so they can take advantage when new offers and discounts come on board.”
Active Travel Commissioner, Dame Sarah Storey, said:
“We know that the GM cycle hire scheme is popular with people aged 18 to 35, and this new offer for Our Pass holders provides a great opportunity to see how a slightly younger group of people use the bikes over the next few months – and to hear their feedback.
“Finding out what they think about the bikes, and what changes they would like to see – to enable them to keep on using them in the future, will be crucial in helping shape the future roll-out of the scheme.”
