Trent Barton charges Childrens ‘smartphone penalty’

Derby and Nottingham families face £585-a-year ‘smartphone penalty’ on children’s school Trent Barton bus fares.

We think this is discriminatory and have spent months conversing with Trent Barton but they are refusing to remove the higher ticket price for children travelling without a Smart Phone.

So I am writng to you here, sharing this story on all our social media channels and for the first time I am sharing with the local Press because I/we believe all children deserve fair equal bas fairs.

We also recognise Trent Bartons refusal to offer equal ticket prices to non smart-phone paying children creates a barrier for any families wishing to stay analogue and prevents our local schools from fully implementing the new legal prohibitve status of Smart Phones in schools.

Read below to hear Derby Mums experiences the financial penalty.

Smart Phone Free Childhood campaign event in Lawn school Derbyshire

We call on Trent Barton to provide a non-digital way for children to access the £1.50 b_line fare.

Derbyshire parents and carers who have chosen not to give their 11-year-old children smartphones say they face paying up to £585 extra per child each school year to use Trent Barton buses.

The parents say children with a Derbyshire County Council b_line card can obtain the £1.50 maximum single fare on Trent Barton only through the Mango smartphone app. A child without a smartphone may therefore pay £3 for a journey that costs £1.50 through the app.

For a return school journey, that creates a difference of £3 a day – £15 a week and £585 across a 39-week school year. Families argue that the digital-only arrangement penalises parents who cannot afford a smartphone or who are deliberately delaying giving one to their child.

Their appeal comes as schools in England begin following statutory government guidance that says they should be smart phones are a prohibited item alongside vapes and e-cigarettes and it is now deemed illegal for children to access personal smart devices during the school day due significant rise in device related safe guarding concerns.  Alongside the governments under 16’s  social media ban announced  this Summer.

Abigail is part of wider Derby Smart Phone Free Childhood community supporting events such as this with Beshlie Donaldson at Lawn Primary school, Allestree Derby.

The parents say it is contradictory for schools to be told to hold off giving children smart phones while a bus operator makes a smartphone the only route to the full council-backed fare discount.

‘An entirely unnecessary obstacle’

Figure 2 Caroline Mum of 2 children travelling on Trent Barton Buses to school

Adele, whose 11-year-old daughter Elodie attends The Ecclesbourne School, calculates that the policy will cost her family an additional £546 a year. When her second child, Torben, joins the school in 2029, she says the combined difference will be £1,092 a year.

“I am deeply disappointed that Trent Barton’s short-sighted policy makes it more difficult for parents to make the best choice for their children with regard to delaying getting a smartphone. There are already so many obstacles to overcome when making this choice. Trent Barton has created another, entirely unnecessary, one.”
Adele, mum of Elodie, 11

Caroline Derby Mum of 2 has a 13-year-old already using Trent Barton for the school journey and an 11-year-old about to start secondary school. She says the lack of a non-digital option could add £585 per child each year.

“My daughter will have a b_line card, which means she qualifies for the £1.50 young person’s fare. The problem is that on Trent Barton buses she can only access that discount digitally through the Mango app. I’m not asking for a special fare. I simply want my daughter to be able to use the b_line discount she is entitled to without having to own a smartphone. There should be a physical Mango card or another non-digital way for children to access it.”

Laura’s son Bruno, 11, is starting at John Flamsteed Community School and will travel on the 138 service. She says the issue affects both families who cannot afford a smartphone and those who do not believe it is appropriate for their child.

“I have made a conscious decision not to give my child access to a smartphone at such a young age due to the many risks involved in potentially being exposed to inappropriate online content. I am really hoping that Trent Barton will also take such considerate action.”


The families are asking Trent Barton either to reinstate a physical Mango card or provide another way for a child to obtain the b_line fare without owning a smartphone. They say the physical b_line card already proves that a young person is eligible for the discount.

After reaching out to Trent Barton addressing the issue they were initially accepting and agreed to reinstate the old physical Mango card on the 5th of June, However, in a message sent on 17 August, Customer Services apologised for any confusion and said the company would not be reinstating a Mango card ‘at this moment in time’. In a further response on 27 August, Trent Barton said:

“Department for Education guidance on mobile phones in schools relates to their use during the school day and does not extend to travel to and from school. Decisions about how young people pay for travel are therefore a matter for individual students and their parents or carers.”

We ned your help to spread the word, please like/share/talk to friends/ email Trent Barton or your local MP or Mayor to support this change happening and stop families from being financially penalised for their child not having a Smart Phone.

Abigail Wastie, founder of Thread of Life Ltd also Mum of 3 children at local Derby schools, Smart phone free childhood leader at Woodlands Secondary and Member of the group at Lawn Primary.

The fare: Derbyshire County Council says b_line is a free travel discount card for young people aged 11 to under 19. It provides a maximum £1.50 single fare on eligible local bus journeys. The council states that, on trentbarton and kinchbus services, the b_line discount is available only through Mango and not from the driver.

The £585 calculation: £1.50 additional cost on each of two school journeys per day equals £3 a day. Across five days a week for 39 school weeks, the difference is £585.