Key facts
- Schoolchildren without smartphones face higher bus fares due to digitised discount schemes.
- Adele Kightley's daughter faces an extra £546 annually because the Derbyshire discount scheme is app-only.
- Trentbarton is developing a new physical card for under-19s to access discounted fares.
- Campaign group Smartphone Free Childhood argues digital passes penalize poorer families and hinder efforts to limit screen time.
- A UK law banning mobile phones in schools came into force in June, but does not cover travel to school.
Schoolchildren in the UK who do not own smartphones are facing significantly higher annual bus fares because discount schemes are increasingly digitised and only accessible via mobile apps. Critics argue this practice undermines government guidance to limit smartphone use in schools and disproportionately affects lower-income families.
Adele Kightley's 11-year-old daughter faces an additional annual cost of £546 to get to school because a discount scheme launched by Derbyshire county council, the b_line card, is only available through a smartphone app. The card caps single fares on trentbarton buses at £1.50 for those aged 18 and under, but registration via an app is required to qualify for the discount. Kightley stated that her family chose not to give their daughter a smartphone, opting instead for a basic phone.
Trentbarton, the bus company, said its ticketing machines are not configured to read the council-issued cards. A spokesperson stated they are "working at speed on developing a new physical card to provide the discounted b_line fare for under-19s." In the interim, they added, all young people will continue to receive discounts off adult fares regardless of payment method.
The East Midlands combined county authority acknowledged the concerns of parents who do not want their children to have smartphones and will consider how young people can access discounted fares as it develops the region’s fares and ticketing strategy.
Daisy Greenwell, a co-founder of the campaign group Smartphone Free Childhood, argued that the increasing reliance on digital-only passes penalizes poorer households and undermines efforts to restrict screen time for children. She noted that while over 200,000 parents have signed a pact to delay giving children smartphones until at least 14, essential services are being designed assuming all children have them. For lower-income families, owning a smartphone can become the price of accessing cheaper bus fares.
Other operators, including Stagecoach and Compass, also require children to have smartphones for the best discounts. Kightley added that for two children, the extra cost could reach nearly £1,100 annually.
A law banning mobile phones in English schools took effect in June, but the Department for Education clarified that it does not cover travel to school, leaving app-only fare discounts to individual bus operators. Greenwell suggested that bus fares should not be a barrier to schools implementing smartphone-free policies.