Young people leaving care in Liverpool have used free travel passes supported by Unicard technology to make more than 40,000 journeys within three months.
The initiative, spearheaded by Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram, is a collaborative effort involving major transport operators in the region, aimed at supporting young people as they transition from care to independent living.
About 1500 young people aged 18-21 across the six boroughs of the Liverpool City Region – Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral – are eligible for the Care Leavers Travel Pass.
Since it was launched by Mayor Rotheram in March this year, more than 1200 passes have been issued, and almost 800 young people have gone on to register and use their pass – making more than 40,000 journeys in total.
Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram (centre) pictured at Liverpool Central Station for the launch of the Care Leavers Travel Pass in March. Image credit: Steve Rotheram / LinkedIn
Liverpool City Region said most of the journeys made were directly linked to employment, training or support services, demonstrating the scheme’s vital role in supporting successful transitions into adulthood. The young people using the pass reported improved confidence, reduced isolation and enhanced wellbeing.
Mayor Rotheram said: “We know that free, reliable travel can open up a world of opportunity – whether it’s getting to college, attending a job interview, or simply enjoying the everyday freedoms that many of us take for granted.
“This pass gives care leavers the independence to explore every part of our city region – and build a happy, successful future for themselves. I’m incredibly proud that we’re standing by our young people and supporting them as they take those next important steps.”
Unicard started work in September 2024 with Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) on the project to introduce the Care Leavers Travel Pass.
LCRCA were already using Unicard’s HOPS and our Smart Office CMS to support and manage integrated smart ticketing before this project, so our platform provided a fast and flexible solution for introducing changes to their scheme – and this allowed us to quickly introduce the new travel pass on the Merseytravel Care Leavers MetroCard.
Unicard began work on the project in September 2024.
Our local card printing solution, UniPrint, was in place in January 2025, allowing Mayor Rotheram to officially launch the initiative and give care leavers free access to public transport in March.
Bureau integration followed in May, enabling card printing via either UniPrint or a bureau, and the project was then transferred to BAU.
Following the successful early results from the travel pass scheme, the Combined Authority and its partners are seeking to encourage more care leavers to sign up and are looking at adding extra support such as help with digital access.
- Read more about this story here: 40,000 journeys of opportunity