Young people offered training to travel more independently

The City of Wolverhampton Council has appointed its first Independent Travel Training Coordinator, to provide additional support to young people who face barriers to travelling on their own.

The Independent Travel Training programme offers one-to-one supports to enable 11 to 19-year-olds to travel a specific route in a safe and responsible way on public transport.

It is open to anyone who lives in Wolverhampton and either uses assisted transport or is eligible for travel assistance, and covers problem solving, personal safety, road safety and appropriate behaviour. The young person is provided with a free bus pass to use, and continuing support until they are confident enough to do the journey on their own.

John Roseblade, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Interim Director for City Housing and Environment, said: "Being able to travel independently is key to giving young people with additional needs greater freedom to get around. It not only improves their confidence and self-esteem but also opens up new opportunities to access education and social and leisure activities in other parts of the city.

"Young people have told us they want to become more independent and see being able to travel on their own as one way to achieve this goal. Equally, parents want their children to be as independent as possible by the time they reach adulthood.

"By offering independent travel training, we are able to give people more choice about the way they travel."

New Independent Travel Training Co Ordinator Alistair Boddie visited Tettenhall Wood School recently, giving pupils a chance to learn more about using public transport and, for some of them, the opportunity to take a trip on a National Express West Midlands bus for the very first time.

He will continue to work closely with Tettenhall Wood and other schools across the city to promote the ability for young people to travel independently in a safe and responsible way.

As well as children and young people, travel assistance is also available to adult learners aged 19 to 25 and adults with care and support needs. For more details, please visit https://bit.ly/3OdaQAb