Barnsley’s MiCard scheme is one of the first initiatives in England to offer free bus travel for all residents aged 5–18, supporting independence, widening access to opportunities, and helping shift travel behaviours across the borough.​

This webinar will explore the background to the MiCard pilot, the challenges faced in design and implementation, and the mitigations put in place, including multi‑operator partnership working and coordinated funding from Barnsley Council and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.​

Attendees will hear how the project team delivered the scheme at pace, managed application and distribution processes, and ensured operational readiness across all participating operators. The session will also outline early results and how Barnsley is approaching evaluation of long‑term behavioural, social, and network impacts.​

Join us to learn what has worked, what has been learned, and what’s next for MiCard as Barnsley and South Yorkshire consider future expansion.

Speakers:

John Young
Commercial Director, Stagecoach Yorkshire

John Young is Commercial Director for Stagecoach Yorkshire with over four decades of bus industry experience in operations and commercial aspects. He has worked for Stagecoach for 30 years and has been based in Barnsley and involved with South Yorkshire for the last twelve.

Katherine Knowles
Strategic Finance Business Partner and MiCard project delivery lead, Barnsley Council

Katharine Knowles is Strategic Finance Business Partner and MiCard project delivery lead for Barnsley Council. She has over 20 years’ professional services experience leading complex commercial and stakeholder engagements, often involving multi‑agency and politically sensitive settings. For the past six years Katharine has applied this experience in the public sector, focusing on strategic finance and governance.