Under 16 help guide

Under 16 pop card

  • Under 16 Pop card

    Children who live in Tyne and Wear and are 5 to 15 years old on the 31st August before the start of the current academic year are entitled to an Under 16 Pop card. With an Under 16 Pop card, you can travel at these concessionary child fares all day, every day:

    • Single – 60p
    • CAT (Child All-day Ticket) – £1.10

    If you don’t have an Under 16 Pop card you won’t be able to buy concessionary child fares.

  • How to apply for an Under 16 Pop card

  • How to buy a concessionary child ticket with an Under 16 Pop card

    • Touch your Under 16 Pop card on the reader on the ticket machine.
    • It will then show you the date your card expires and there will be two buttons for the different types of concessionary child tickets you can buy.
    • Press CAT if you want a Child All–Day Ticket.

    Watch the step–by–step guide to buying a concessionary child ticket at the new ticket machine

  • Already have an Under 16 Pop card?

Pop on the Metro

Before we’re smart ....
Press the Under 16 Pop Card button on the ticket machine then choose your ticket.

When we’re smart ....
Touch your card at the new ticket machine to be offered fares only available to Under 16 Pop Card holders then use your Pop card to go through the gate or touch in and out at a validator.

Pop on the Bus

Before we’re smart ....
Show the driver your pass when you buy your ticket.

When we’re smart ....
We’ll let you know when each bus company is ready for you to touch your card at the machine when you buy your ticket.

pop on the train

Pop on the Train

Before we’re smart ....
Buy your single ticket from the conductor or a ticket machine, or Transfare ticket from a ticket machine.

When we’re smart ....
Buy your single ticket from the conductor or a ticket machine, or Transfare ticket from a ticket machine

Pop on the Ferry

Before we’re smart ....
Show the ferry operator your pass when you pay for the ticket.

When we’re smart ....
Touch your card at the machine when you buy your ticket.

Lost or stolen card

If you think you lost your pass while using public transport, please contact the appropriate operator. Call Nexus Customer Services on 0191 20 20 747 if you are unsure which operator’s service you were on.

If the operator has not found your pass, you will need to complete a new application form. A replacement Under 16 Pop Card costs £5.

How to update or replace your Pop Card

You will need to send us the following:

  • Completed application form, signed by the child’s parent or guardian 
  • A colour passport photo attached to the application form in the box provided. 
  • A stamped self-addressed envelope
  • £5 (cheque or postal order made payable to Nexus if posting, cash can be paid at any TravelShop)

Back to School by bus and Metro

Getting to school by public transport is cheap, safe and easy in Tyne and Wear – follow our simple three steps to get your kids going on bus and Metro.

1) Check the best travel options
Nine out of ten children live within 40 minutes door-to-door travel by bus or Metro of an appropriate school – and for most the journey time is far less.

Nexus provides around 300 school bus services daily to about 50 different primary and secondary schools – for details in your area, see below. Parents can travel with the children on these buses if they wish.

If there’s no specific school bus then normal Metro or bus may get your child to school – call Nexus Customer Services on 0191 20 20 747 or use our journey planner or myJourney.

2) Get an Under 16 Pop Card for the cheapest travel
Children aged 5 to 15 on 31st August who live in Tyne and Wear travel for just £1.10 a day with a ‘CAT’ ticket on bus and Metro – the cheapest child travel available. To buy a CAT a child must carry an Under 16 Pop Card – if you child hasn’t got one apply now.

If your child will be travelling by public transport to school every day, buy a School Pass which allows you to pay for school journeys in advance so there's no need to find change for fares every day.

3) Go with your child the first time they travel
Bus and Metro are safe and convenient ways to travel, used by tens of thousands of school pupils every day.

If your child has not used public transport before or is not familiar with the route to a new school, it may help if you try out the journey with them. That way you can teach your child how to check timetables, pay their fare and get on and off in both directions. You could do this on a Saturday before school starts, when normal services will often be the same as on school days.

School Pass

School Passes allow you to pay for school journeys in advance so there is no need to find change for fares every day. School Passes are available for journeys within Tyne and Wear and can be used on all local public transport services in the county, including bus, Metro and local rail services between Sunderland and Blaydon. You can travel between your home and school, and other places you go to study, until 7.00pm on schooldays with a School Pass. Buy one for the whole academic year, or just for each term.

Find out more about a School Pass

School bus services

Most school pupils and students travel on normal buses. But about 50 schools are served by special School Bus Services, paid for by Nexus to fill in gaps in the bus network.

Click here for details of School Bus Services for the 2012/13 academic year.

If you are considering buying a season ticket or pass for a particular operator, please check that all journeys are provided by the same operator. Alternatively, a School Pass is valid on all services.

All things Pop: