First Bus bans under-16s in Stoke-on-Trent travelling alone after 6pm after disorder
First Bus has banned all under-16s in Stoke-on-Trent from travelling on its buses without an adult after 6pm, citing a rise in antisocial behaviour since the government introduced free bus travel for 5- to 15-year-olds in England on 1 August. The move highlights growing tension over how to manage youth misbehaviour on public transport, with the free travel scheme, intended to ease cost-of-living pressures, apparently giving disruptive young people wider opportunities to cause trouble across the city rather than creating new behaviour.
First Bus said drivers and passengers had reported feeling unsafe following several incidents, including one involving more than 100 young people acting in an "intimidating and aggressive" manner at Hanley bus station, which required police attendance. Regional director Simon Mathieson said the scheme itself had been a success in boosting bus use but that safety concerns forced the ban. Stoke-on-Trent councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker criticised the decision, arguing it unfairly punishes well-behaved children and questioning why more transport safety officers were not deployed instead; he noted the free travel scheme did not create the behaviour but changed where it occurred.
- First Bus bans unaccompanied under-16s after 6pm in Stoke-on-Trent
- Follows disorder linked to England's new free child bus travel scheme
- Local councillor says ban unfairly penalises well-behaved children
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First Bus, one of the country's major bus operators, has introduced a rule stopping under-16s in Stoke-on-Trent from riding its buses alone after 6pm, meaning they must be with an adult to travel. The decision follows the government's introduction of free bus travel for 5- to 15-year-olds across England from 1 August, a scheme designed to help families with the cost of living.
Since the scheme began, First Bus says it has seen a rise in poor behaviour by groups of young people on its services and at bus stations, to the point where staff and other passengers have reported feeling unsafe. The company argues the free travel itself has been popular and successful, but that safety concerns have made restrictions necessary.
The move has drawn criticism from local politicians, who say it penalises children who have done nothing wrong and question whether other measures, such as more staff to manage behaviour, might have been a better response. The situation reflects a wider debate about how to balance the benefits of free youth travel with concerns about safety and disorder on public transport.