Nexus brought in the Pop blue cards during 2018 as a way to make travel on the Metro more affordable for young people aged 16 to 18, and since then, 1.2 million journeys have been made using them.
The cards proved extremely popular with more than 16,000 young people using them, with around 30,000 Pop blue journeys underway each month and around 85% of 16 to 18 year olds using the smart card when travelling on Metro.
The Pop blue card is available to anyone 18 or under and means that they only pay £1 each single trip, and can easily be topped-up online, or at Metro ticket machines.
Another benefit for young people using a Pop blue card is that they will only pay for a maximum of two Metro trips on any single day, which adds up to a £2 daily price cap no matter how many journeys are made.
The Pop blue card is free, but must be bought with a £10 balance on the card.
For those under 16 years of age there is a smart card called Junior blue which can also be purchased and topped up online, which is great as passengers don't have to worry about carrying cash or stopping to use ticket machines. A Junior blue card features child fares of just 90p per single trip with a maximum spend of £1.40 for an entire day of travel.
Junior blue was launched in September last year with more than 100 under 16-year-olds using the card each month.
You can find out more information on the Pop Blue Cards and the Junior Blue cards on the Nexus website.
Customer Services Director at Nexus, Huw Lewis, said: “We're delighted with how successful Pop blue has been. We estimate it has generated about 1 million additional Metro journeys since it was introduced, due to its ease of use and flexibility, and we're keen to encourage more teenagers onto Metro as our lives return to some normality.
“Pop blue lets young people travel on Metro for £1 and as much as they want all day for £2. It's easy to use, customers don't have to commit to any regular travel, it's contactless and better value than using ticket machines.
“Pop Blue is part of our family of great value smart cards and discounts for young people on Metro up to the age of 21. You can find the right card for you or your children and start saving right away – and don't forget that children aged 11 and under travel free with a fare paying adult all day, every day.”
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