Seventeen-year-olds Can Buy the Card Up Until the Day Before They Turn 18, Making It Valid Until the Day Before They Turn 19

Eighteen-year-olds will be able to buy half-price train tickets for most services when railcard rules change later this month, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced. The 16-17 Saver railcard, which currently expires when the holder turns 18, will be valid for a full year from the date of purchase starting 17 August. Seventeen-year-olds can buy the card up until the day before they turn 18, making it valid until the day before they turn 19. The DfT said the existing rule meant more than 70,000 students each year were an average of £175 worse off than those in the same academic year who hadn't yet had their 18th birthday.

The card costs £35 per year and entitles the holder to 50% off most train fares. Rail minister Lord Hendy called it a "common sense change" that would "lower the cost of travel at a critical time for teenagers, whether they're pursuing further education, vocational pathways or getting their footing in the jobs market. Jacqueline Starr, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group, said the change shows the sector's commitment to "offering better value fares and delivering a more joined-up railway.

Kaynat Ahmad, vice president for further education at the National Union of Students, described the railcard as essential for young people reliant on trains to get to college, work or training. Eighteen-year-olds were already entitled to a 16-25 Railcard, but that only gives a third off travel costs. The announcement follows the government's plan to cut the cap on most single bus fares in England from £3 to £2 next year.