Under 16 Pop cards are available to all children who live in Tyne and Wear who are in year 11 and below at school. So that’s children aged 5 to 15 on the 31 August before the start of the current academic year,

• On Tyne and Wear Metro
• On buses in Tyne and Wear only
• On the Shields Ferry
• On Northern Rail trains between Newcastle and Sunderland and Newcastle and Metrocentre/Blaydon

Children must of course have their Under 16 Pop card with them when they travel, and available to be checked on request, to be entitled to pay concessionary fares.

Under 16 Pop cards can be used to buy concessionary fares all day, every day.

Apply for your first Under 16 Pop card – click here 

You will need to provide us with the following:

• A passport style colour photo
• Proof of the child’s age – for example their passport or birth certificate.
• Proof that the child’s permanent address is in Tyne and Wear – for example their parent or guardian’s current Council Tax bill, a utility bill dated within the last 6 months or any official Government documentation, also within 6 months, so we may issue the pass. Please note we cannot accept bank letters or statements
• An up to date Medical card can be used as proof of both age and address.
• £5 payment – by credit/debit card if applying online; or cheque or postal order made payable to Nexus, if posting
• A completed application form, signed by the child’s parent or guardian, which you can download below if you are applying by post.

Lost or stolen card

If you think you lost your pass while using public transport, please contact the appropriate operator. Call Nexus Customer Relations on 0191 20 20 747 if you are unsure which operator’s service you were on.

If the operator has not found your pass, you will need to request a replacement. A replacement Under 16 Pop card costs £5.

How to update or replace your Under 16 Pop card

To request the replacement or renewal of an existing Under 16 Pop card – click here to register your card and ‘link your account’, so that you can make the request online. Please note that you can only renew an Under 16 Pop card 28 days or less from the expiry date of your current card.

Please note that if you have lost an Under 16 Pop card and don’t know the card number, you can request it from our Customer Relations team via this link or by calling 0191 20 20 747 (Monday-Friday 9am-5pm).

You will need to provide us with the following:

• A passport style colour photo
• £5 payment – by credit/debit card if applying online; or cheque or postal order made payable to Nexus, if posting
• Proof that the child’s permanent address is in Tyne and Wear – for example their parent or guardian’s current Council Tax bill, a utility bill dated within the last 6 months or any official Government documentation, also within 6 months, so we may issue the pass. Please note we cannot accept bank letters or statements
• A completed application form, signed by the child’s parent or guardian, which you can download below if you are applying by post.

Click here to request the replacement or renewal of a registered  Under 16 Pop card – and then log into your account.

Click here to register an existing Under 16 Pop card so that you can log into your account to replace or renew it in future.

• On Metro, you must touch your Under 16 Pop card onto the orange reader on the Metro ticket machine to buy concessionary tickets.
• On buses, show the driver your pass when you buy your ticket.
• On the Shields Ferry, show the ferry operator your pass when you pay for the ticket.
• On Northern Rail trains between Newcastle and Sunderland and Newcastle and Metrocentre/Blaydon, show your pass to the conductor when requested.

Children must of course have their Under 16 Pop card with them when they travel, and available to be checked on request, to be entitled to pay these concessionary fares.

Please keep us informed of any changes to your details, eg change of address. We will need to be sent documentation confirming the change before we update our records.  There will be a £5 charge if we need to issue a new pass (eg for change of name or photo).

1. Under 16 Pop cards remain the property of Nexus and will be withdrawn if misused.
2. Under 16 Pop cards are not transferable and can only be used by the person named and shown on the pass.
3. Under 16 Pop cards are only valid for travel when accompanied by a valid concessionary ticket.
4. Under 16 Pop cards can only be used for travel on specified local public transport services within Tyne and Wear.
5. Notwithstanding the above, the passholder is subject to the General Conditions of Carriage and passenger regulations of the participating operators

Pop Blue

Under 16 year olds, particularly those who live outside Tyne and Wear, may find having a Pop Blue card useful as a method of paying for travel on public transport. If you have a valid Under 16 Pop card though, the concessionary fares you can buy with that are cheaper than the ones you pay with a Pop Blue card.

What’s Pop Blue?

Pop Blue is the way to pay for your travel in North East England if you’re aged 18 or under. Just load a balance onto your Pop Blue card and use it to pay for journeys as you make them. A Pop Blue card gives you special discounted fares on Metro that are much cheaper than buying adult Single or Day Tickets. You can also use your Pop Blue balance on the bus and the Shields Ferry but it works differently, see our Pop blue FAQs for details.

School Passes are available for journeys within Tyne and Wear and can be used on all local public transport services in the county, including bus, Metro and local rail services between Sunderland and Blaydon.

You can travel between your home and school, and other places you go to study, until 7.00pm on schooldays with a School Pass. Buy one for the whole academic year, or just for each term.

Disabled children aged five to 16 who live in Tyne and Wear should apply for an All Day Concessionary Travel Pass and an Under 16 Pop card.  If you travel by Metro, you should also buy a Metro Gold Card.

• If you are travelling on bus – use your All Day Concessionary Travel Pass to travel free of charge all day every day.
• If you are travelling by Metro, the Shields Ferry, or on the Newcastle to Sunderland Northern Rail service – use your Metro Gold Card to travel free of charge all day every day.
• If you are travelling on Northern Rail services between Newcastle and Metrocentre/Blaydon – use your Under 16 Pop card to travel at concessionary child fares.