About Our Pass

What is Our Pass?

Our Pass is a membership scheme for young people who live in Greater Manchester, and supports both school leavers and care leavers. Those eligible have the chance to become a member – and potentially enjoy two things:

First, free bus travel across Greater Manchester. For a one-off £10 fee, members can travel on most local buses, any day of the week, for free. No hassle, no fuss, no tickets: just a card that will get you where you want to go. Members can also get half-price off-peak 1 day and weekend travelcards on Metrolink.

Second, membership unlocks Our Pass Exclusives: A range of offers and experiences: discounts, special offers, free tickets, swimming and leisure passes, merchandise, taster sessions and much more.

Depending on age and eligibility, members can enjoy free bus travel and Exclusive offers until the end of August after they turn 18. or 21 for care leavers.

Our Pass Exclusives

Our Pass members get access to a range of fantastic Exclusives offers, events, discounts and experiences, from tickets to tasters, discounts and swimming and leisure passes. Our Pass Exclusives are only open to our members – look out for the Exclusives label across the site, or find out what Exclusives are live on the site now. Alongside, you’ll also find listings for other events on our website that we think you might like; these events are open to anyone and, as we’re not responsible for these events, members should check individual organisation websites for full details before heading to a venue or event.

Who is Our Pass for?

Our Pass is for eligible young people* who live in Greater Manchester. The travel pass can be used for up to two years, starting from 1 September after your 16th birthday, until 31 August after your 18th birthday (or until your 18th birthday, if this is 31 August). You can continue to use your igo card until you become eligible for Our Pass (igo cards expire on 31 August after your 16th birthday). If you’re not sure if you live in Greater Manchester, use the Government’s find your local council tool to check if you live in one of the following 10 local council areas:

• Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council
• Bury Metropolitan Borough Council
• Manchester City Council
• Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council
• Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council
• Salford City Council
• Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council
• Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council
• Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council
• Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council

*subject to eligibility

When can you apply?

If you are leaving school in 2024 you can apply from 1st May and can use your card automatically from 1 September. You will need to register for a website account separately to access Exclusives.

Have you activated your website account? Register now!

To access Exclusives, you’ll need to create a new website account. This is not the same as the account you set up when you applied for your travel card/pass. Have your card number handy (you’ll need the number on the back), and register for a website account here. Once registered, you’ll be able to log in to the website any time to apply for or take advantage of our member-only exclusives, offers, discounts, free tickets and special events.

How do you apply?

Save time and get everything ready before you apply. Already applied, but been rejected? Try our helpful guide for what to do if your application has been rejected (it does happen, but we’ll do all we can to get you back on track).

Five things you need before you apply

1. An email address. We’ll use this to send you updates on your application and set up your Our Pass account. You cannot use the same email address for a second Our Pass card account and will get an error message if you try.

2. A passport style photo to upload. Using a camera phone or digital camera, ask someone to take a passport-style colour photo of you against a plain background. Make sure it’s just your head and shoulders. Photographs of photos, or blurred photos, will be rejected. Check the diagrams below for tips.

3. Proof of your date of birth. To be eligible right now, you need to have been born between 01/09/2006 and 31/08/2008. If you leave school in 2025 year and are born between 01/09/2008 and 31/08/2009 you will be eligible to apply in May 2025 and you will receive your Our pass card at the end of August in time to use from 1st September. You will need to photograph, scan or colour copy a document that has your date of birth. Make sure the copy you upload is clear, and shows the whole document or page. It should be uploaded as a pdf or .jpg and below 5mb in size. Check the diagrams below for tips. Choose from the following documents:

• Passport
• Driving licence
• Birth or adoption certificate
• NHS medical card
• Biometric residence permit
• Valid UK ID card
• EU/ EEA ID card
• HM forces ID card

4. Proof that you live in Greater Manchester. You will need to photograph, scan or colour copy an official letter that has your address on it. Show the whole letter, so that we can see the letterhead AND your address. You can blank out any sensitive information. Check the diagrams below for tips. Choose from the following documents:

• Letter from HMRC or government agency e.g. Department for Work and Pensions or National Insurance number
• Driving licence (unless already used for proof of age)

Or one of these, which have to have been issued within the last three months (make sure we can see the date on the copy you send us):

• Letter or statement from your bank or building society (you can download statements from most online banking accounts)
• Utility bill
• Mobile phone bill

*If you aren’t able to provide any of these items, you can request a confirmation letter from your school or college that confirms your home address and current age and date of birth.

5. A way to pay. There is a £10 administration charge, and so you’ll need a valid payment card with you (so that you can see both the front and the back of the card). Make sure that you know the billing address for this card.

Uploading your photo? Some extra tips:

The best format is .jpg. For iOS / Apple devices, go to settings / camera / formats, and choose “most compatible”. For Android devices, open the camera app, click the settings button (gear icon) / save options / unselect “HEIF pictures”.

The best picture size is 4:3. For iOS / Apple devices, open the camera app and “photo” setting will take images using this size. For Android devices, open the camera app, click the settings button (gear icon) / for rear camera or front camera (depending on which is used) and set the “picture size” to 4:3.

Problems or questions?

Application rejected?

Sometimes, applications are rejected because the wrong information has been supplied, or in the wrong format. If your application has been rejected because there’s a problem with your photo, proof of address or date of birth documents, you can upload new ones. Read our guide to find out what you can do to make sure your application is accepted, and then click the Manage Application button to edit your application. After this, the website will take you to the payment screen. At this point, please get in touch with the team on 03000 035 035 and we will be able to complete your application for you – you won’t need to pay again.

When will you get your membership card?

If you’re successful in your application, you’ll usually receive your pass within 7-10 working days. If you’re applying from May 2025 for membership that begins on 1 September 2025, your card will arrive in mid-August, so that it’s ready for you to begin using it in September. You can use your membership card straight away: head back to this site to activate your website account activate your website account (so that you can get access to exclusive member offers), and use it immediately on buses.

Lost or stolen card?

If your Our Pass is lost, stolen or damaged, you can order a new one by either logging into your card application account to ‘manage your application‘ or by contacting our Customer Service Team on 0300 323 0777. Phone lines are open from 7am to 8pm, Monday to Friday and 8am to 8pm at weekends and on bank holidays. A replacement Our Pass will then be sent to the home address registered on your account. There is a replacement fee of £10. Don’t forget, when you get your replacement card make sure you activate it. If you are doing this for the first time, head to Activate my Our Pass card. If you activated your card last time then just head to Update my account to add your new Our Pass card number.

Contact us if you need help

If you have any problems with your application, or have any questions, contact us , call us on 0300 323 0777 or reach us through our new Live Chat feature on the Bee Network website, available from Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm.