TEIGNBRIDGE Youth Council (TYC) was joined by representatives from Devon County Council, Teignbridge Council and bus operators Stagecoach and County Bus to help launch its Youth Transport Info leaflet and Text for Bus Info card.
The event, which took place at Old Forde House, Newton Abbot, marked the culmination of seven months of hard work to produce the information flyer and card, which were designed to address the transport needs of teenagers in the Teignbridge area. The production of the 3,000 leaflets and 3,000 cards, which are to be distributed in schools, bus depots and at bus stops, was funded by a £2,000 grant from Teignbridge Council. The youth council was given the freedom to spend the money in any appropriate way that would address the concerns and problems of its peer group. After various proposals, youth councillors decided to allocate £400 of the grant to a scheme that would make teenagers more aware of the available transport options in their school, the seaside and towns. The leaflet contains useful bus and train routes, while the card details a number teenagers can text from their mobile phones to find out more information about a particular bus service. Teignbridge Youth Council chairman Layla Crabtree, 17, was pleased that the leaflet and card had been launched. She said: 'I'm really excited and feeling very optimistic that we can make a difference to people our age.' Cllr Mike Walters, chairman of Teignbridge Council, congratulated the youth councillors on their achievement. He said: 'Young people don't have easy access to public transport, but this is a super leaflet which clearly informs and gets the message across.' Cllr Walters said that the project had been 'money very well spent'. Richard Stevens, operations director of Stagecoach, was equally as enthusiastic, and said the leaflet would 'raise awareness of services that already exist.' He also said that it might well identify gaps in the service Stagecoach provided. Mr Stevens indicated that the company would consider investing money in future updates of the printed information, should this debut leaflet and card prove successful.