Owen Fraser responds to an article by Anna Tims on the price schoolchildren without smartphones pay on buses
I applaud Anna Tims for her article (Schoolchildren without smartphones penalised with higher bus fares, 26 September), raising the need for a unified approach on this issue to properly tackle the ill effects of such technology on children in the classroom and beyond.
I live in Scotland, where this issue is addressed by making bus travel free for children and young people under the age of 22 with a physical national entitlement card. I am, however, affected by the more general problem of cheaper bus pass options being hidden behind smartphone apps.
I use a non-standard operating system on my phone owing to the always-online models of Android and iOS, which I prefer to avoid.
When comparing the prices of First’s weekly bus pass in my area, which is available to purchase on the bus, and its monthly pass, which is exclusive to its app, I am spending £264 extra over the course of a year simply for not using a phone that this specific app is designed for.
This is unacceptable even without the issues I raised about the main two mobile operating systems, even more so in the context of the present cost of living generally. Accessible public transport should not depend on which computer software is used by the passenger.
First is far from the only offender in this regard – for instance, many supermarkets’ loyalty schemes are now only available as apps as well.
Owen Fraser
Aberdeen