Mayor urges school leavers to apply for their membership card and activate a host of opportunities

• Finished your GCSE year? Heading to work or college? Our Pass will get you there.
• Our Pass opens for new applications on July 1. School leavers will be able to start using their card from September, as they commence the next step in their education and careers.
• Since Our Pass was launched, in September 2019, more than 74,000 cards have been issued. Eligibility was extended last year to include care leavers, up to the age of 21, with almost 700 cards issued so far.
• Our Pass will take you there: Since its launch, members have made more than 14.5 million journeys. Our Pass currently has over 45,000 active members.
• Over the next few months Our Pass will be announcing exclusives for members to look forward to as we come out of lockdown. Details on how to access opportunities can be found by visiting ourpass.co.uk

Andy Burnham has sent a message to all Greater Manchester school leavers that Our Pass ‘is there for you’ and urged them to take advantage of its benefits as applications open today (July 1).

Our Pass is a UK first. Now in its third year, it is aimed at Greater Manchester’s GCSE leavers, and care leavers aged 18-21. Designed by and made for young people, members gain access to two distinct offers at this important time in their life: free bus travel and reduced tram travel as well as exclusive offers and experiences.

Our Pass can be used in all of Greater Manchester’s 10 boroughs and that includes being able to pick-up an exclusive JD Lanyard from your local library. Those who are eligible to apply must live in Greater Manchester and have been born between 1 September 2003 and 31 August 2005.

The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said:

“We’ve been living through tough times but at least we have a glimmer of hope now. And, as we open up again, Our Pass will be there for you. Our Pass is here to unlock the city-region, a pass to all 10 boroughs.

“Back in 2017, we said that Greater Manchester would use the freedoms we have under devolution to make young people our priority for investment. We have stuck to that and recommitted to prioritising support for our young people.

“We know that our young people have sacrificed a lot over the last year. Many young lives have been severely disrupted. We now need to make an extra effort to help them get back on track. I want to say to all those Year 11s, thinking about what’s next, that Our Pass will be there for you when you start on that new journey in September.”

Over the next few months Our Pass will be announcing exclusives for members to look forward to as we come out of lockdown. Since Our Pass first went live in September 2019, homegrown brands like Park Life, the Halle, Vimto, Manchester City and Manchester United have been offering their support with a series of offers and competitions.

At Parklife 2019 ten lucky Our Pass winners, together with a guest, won tickets. Now the weekend festival is set to return, at Heaton Park, on the revised date of 11-12 September - with an exciting new exclusive Our Pass competition to be announced in the next few weeks.

In the meantime, current Our Pass members are already benefitting from a range of exclusives including free or discounted activity sessions enabling them to take part in fitness training, obstacle courses and go-karting; as well as meal vouchers and competitions.

Our Pass Ambassador Emma Greenwood, aged 17, said:

"Our Pass has enabled me to access so many opportunities and explore Greater Manchester in a way I would never have been able to before. It has given me the accessibility to freedom and independence that all 16-18 year olds need."

Finlay McGrath, now aged 19, said:

"Our Pass really changed the way I went around Greater Manchester. Predominantly using the Metrolink for years I was able to use buses more & to go into different areas. Being an Ambassador for Our Pass also enabled me to visit some awesome venues to do workshops & photoshoots. I’m buzzing that the younger generation are able to have such an amazing program for them to explore our amazing city region.”

Our Pass ambassador Annabelle Cook, aged 17, said:

"This past year hasn't been an ideal start to college but through Our Pass I've still managed to do some new and interesting stuff like live stream a Halle Concert and do an aerial course at C4C, so I can't wait to see what Our Pass has got lined up for us to apply for when restrictions lift.”

Details on how to access exclusives can be found by visiting www.ourpass.co.uk (opens link in new window).

Article Published: 01/07/2021 10:09 AM