Leeds buses to let parents buy kids' e-tickets

Leeds bus operator First West Yorkshire has improved its mTickets app to enable parents to pay for travel on their own devices before a travel pass is downloaded to their child's phone.

The new feature means that debit and credit card data no longer needs to be stored in the child's phone to purchase e-tickets.

It also means their children can travel cash-free with the pre-paid tickets, removing the issue of potentially losing their bus money during the day.

The app update will be trialled over the next month and retained permanently if it proves popular with parents.

Managing director Paul Matthews said:

“Our aim with this change is to ensure that all customers have access to the benefits of using our mTickets app, as well as helping to put parents’ minds at ease. The update to the mTickets app means that once a parent or guardian has purchased a child's bus ticket (i.e. day, weekly, monthly or annual) through the mTickets app, then they will then have the ability to transfer that ticket to their child. This means that children will not need to carry cash with them throughout the day in order to purchase a bus ticket - so there’ll be no excuses for children claiming to have lost their bus money!

The mTickets app is available from the Apple Store and Google Play.