PARENTS have accused First Bus of trying to increase their profits following the decision to remove the option of buying a child ticket from the mobile app.

The company confirmed that due to the increase in the use of the free travel scheme for under 22s, it’s no longer possible to purchase a child ticket online.

However, the option to buy a child ticket on any bus is still available.

But Glasgow City Parents Group has hit out at the recent move.

Glasgow Times:

Leanne McGuire, chair of the group, said: “An M-ticket is what they call any ticket bought on the app, which is automatically stored to your phone and can be 'gifted' to anyone.

“There were many families using that option because, as you can imagine with children, they lose the paper ticket or some kids, you give them money for the bus, and they overspend on their lunch.

“Being able to buy the ticket on the app was really convenient and very accessible for many parents.”

The removal of the child day/weekly M-ticket was first brought to Leanne’s attention when her daughter lost her National Entitlement Card (NEC).

Glasgow Times:

The 43-year-old, from the Southside of Glasgow, said: “When she lost it earlier in the year, I was buying these M-tickets. So, I went onto the app and couldn’t see the option anywhere.

“I tweeted them about it and the reason they gave was that the NECs have been rolled out, which doesn’t make any sense.

“The NEC uptake and application has been covered numerous times in the media; it wasn’t accessible, so to assume that every child has that option is actually quite frankly ignorant. There have been a lot of issues with the NECs.

“There are no negatives for First to keep the child M-ticket, as it was already there. The only reason I can see for them removing it is to try and increase their profits as the student ticket is double the price.”

A student all-day ticket costs £4.25, meanwhile, a child costs £2.10.

Leanne added: “Not every child has got an NEC or bank card to pay on the bus, and if you pay on the bus with cash it needs to be the exact money.

“If your child hasn’t got an NEC, your options are you have the exact change to give your child the £2.10 fare, or you would need to go to the bank, take out £10, and go and get change to give your child, so there’s unnecessary spending going on there.

“Some parents may not live near an accessible or free cash point, and some may not have £10 in their bank to withdraw, so being able to buy an M-ticket is a more inclusive option.

“And if you think of parents with mobility issues – sometimes they can’t get out to withdraw cash.

“The reason we’re quite annoyed about it is that there’s a lot of assumptions going on with First; that everybody has access to bank cards and that everybody has an NEC.

“They shouldn’t be creating further barriers for people to access cheaper and safer bus travel.

"When we spoke about this over the weekend with one of our campus officers, it was them that encouraged us to post about it." 

Glasgow City Parents Group has lodged a formal complaint with First Bus in the hope it brings back the child M-ticket option.

After posting about the issue on their Facebook page, parents shared their concerns.

Glasgow Times:

One person wrote: “I got in touch with First Bus Glasgow about this when they stopped them, and to say the answer I received back was derisory would be an understatement.

"It costs nothing to make these tickets available for purchase via the app, the only reason to stop them would be monetary.

"Such a shame as I gifted them to my son one every week so that he could get to school.”

Another added: “We have been unable to get our kids NECs because we don’t have their full birth certificates. I always did the gifting for my kids, so they weren’t carrying money or worrying about their bus fare. This is a ridiculous move.”

A spokesperson for First Glasgow said: “Following the introduction of the Young Persons Concessionary Travel Scheme in January and the increasing uptake of the free travel scheme amongst under 22s, we recently took the decision to remove the child M-ticket from our app as we continue to streamline our ticket options, making it easier for customers to find the right ticket for their journey.

“We understand not everyone eligible for the free travel scheme has applied for their card yet, so have made sure the child ticket is still available to purchase on the bus at the point of travel.

“We would continue to encourage everyone eligible for the scheme to submit their application which will then allow them to travel on the bus for free throughout Scotland once they receive their card.”