Did you know that, in partnership with Northern, we’ve launched a new ‘flexi’ season ticket for rail commuters travelling between Leeds and Harrogate stations?
Although coronavirus lockdown restrictions are being eased, we know lots of people are still not back to travelling on train like they used to.
Many offices remain closed and working from home more regularly looks likely to become the ‘new normal’.
That’s why Transport for the North believe flexible tickets are a great new option for the North’s rail passengers and why we have invested in making them available in our region.
Jeremy Acklam, TfN’s Director of Integrated and Smart Travel, said: “The launch of flexi seasons is a major and timely milestone in our mission to transform travel across the North of England. Now more than ever, due to the impact of coronavirus on our travel habits, passengers need safer, better value and more convenient ways to pay for public transport. Flexi seasons will provide this for thousands of passengers.”
The new flexi season tickets – now valid initially on Northern and LNER services between Leeds and Harrogate stations only – are loaded to smartcards and give passengers 10 unlimited travel days for the price of 9.
Recognising you might not be making the journey 4 or 5 days a week at the moment, the tickets are valid for up to 6 months – meaning you can travel on the days you need, without worrying you’re not getting value out of your season ticket.
For more information about how to purchase the flexi-season, visit Northern’s website.
Mark Powles, Customer and Commercial Director at Northern, said: “Our customers’ working lives have changed significantly in the past few months and the flexible season tickets will provide a way for rail travel with Northern to reflect those changes. With Transport for the North’s support, the new tickets will allow our customers to load 10 day-passes between two stations onto a smart card which can then be used at any time in a six-month period. So, unlike a normal season ticket, customers now only have to pay for the days they travel. Initially, we are trialling the new flexi-season ticket for journeys between Harrogate and Leeds, but plan to roll the scheme out to other parts of the Northern network in the coming months.”
Flexi tickets are ideal if you only need to commute two or three times a week, and provide a safe, convenient and good value way to pay for your travel.
At Transport for the North, we are now developing a proposal to make these available for passengers right across our region.
Keep up to date with our Integrated and Smart Travel programme – which aims to use technology to make public transport easier and more convenient to use – on our website.
Remember to continue following Government advice and travel safely on public transport by always wearing a face mask and keeping to social distancing rules.