Paying for a journey by public transport is now easier than ever! With a number of season tickets available in the area, contactless payments accepted on most services and even the option of purchasing and storing tickets on your smart phone you’ll find it super easy to find a payment method that suits you!
If you are a regular public transport user, make sure that you have spent some time exploring ways you could save some money. Paying on the day may be a quick and flexible option, but you could make some serious savings by buying a monthly or annual pass, or by booking your travel in advance.
Arriva Ticketing
Many of the local bus services are operated by Arriva, who offer a range of ticketing options aimed at making your journeys as cheap as possible. They also now accept contactless payments on all of their services, which is ideal if you plan on paying for your bus journey on the day of your travel.
For further details on Arriva tickets, including information on how to buy tickets via your smart phone, follow the links below.
MCard
If your journey includes travel on buses and trains in the West Yorkshire region, or you are likely to travel on the bus or train more than a few times a week, then the MCard may offer a better option. The MCard is a smart card which can be topped up as you go, making travel around West Yorkshire really simple and great value too!
For more information on the deals available, follow the link below.
Train Tickets
Finding good value train tickets is easier than ever, with a number of great online tools available! Micklefield station has a ticket office and ticket machines, making purchasing train tickets in person really simple. Alternatively, the Northern or the Trainline app gives you ability to purchase digital tickets to store on your smartphone, as well as giving you live journey information.
Booking train travel in advance is an easy way to get cheaper tickets, with the number of cheap advance fares available doubling in the last few years! Advance tickets are available to buy as far as 12 weeks before your date of travel and can usually be purchased up until 6pm the day before.
Season Tickets
If you’re making the same train journey three days per week or more, perhaps on your journey to work, then getting a regular season ticket could save you a considerable amount of money! Most season tickets of 7-days or longer can only be used by a specific person and will require a Photocard to validate them.
If you’re travelling between 2-3 days per week and need a little extra flexibility, new Flexi Season Tickets allow you to travel 8 days in 28 between specified stations, working out at 2.5 days of travel per week. The Flexi Season ticket will offer a minimum of 20% discount on an equivalent Monthly Season ticket, so definitely worth looking into if you know you’re going to be splitting your time between home and the office.
Use National Rail’s handy tool to calculate the cost of different season tickets by follow the link below.
If you regularly travel by train it’s worth checking if you’re eligible for a Railcard. You could be saving 1/3 on all of your train travel!
There are a number of different concessions for seniors wishing to travel locally and nationally in England, across all types of public transport. For more information about eligibility and the concessions available check out Age UK’s guide by following the link below.
Corporate Discounts
If you use Arriva services then it’s worth checking if your employer is part of the Arriva Employee Travel Club, as you’ll get monthly travel passes at specially discounted rates.
Similar discounts are also available on MCards, if your employer is part of the Corporate MCard scheme. You can receive a discount of 12% on your ticket, so it is certainly worth asking your employer if they will sign up and make the savings available.