Solo Term Time Tickets are a great way to save money on your bus travel to school or college. Buy one at the beginning of term for your daily bus journeys, Mondays to Fridays - you can even use it during half term.
Where can I use it?
Solo tickets are valid on any bus service across Merseyside. If your journey crosses the Merseyside boundary into Cheshire, Halton, Greater Manchester or Lancashire you must pay the extra fare from the boundary.
When can I use it?
Monday to Friday during term times only, including during half term.
Where can I buy it?
If you have a MetroCard you can buy and renew your ticket online. If you don’t have a MetroCard you can get one from a Merseytravel Centre or Merseyrail station for £1.
Please note that it may take up to 16 hours before your ticket can be loaded onto your card so try to buy yours before 5pm the day before term starts.
You cannot use it before the beginning of term.
What do I need for my first ticket?
Just pay for your ticket with cash or contactless payment from a Travel Centre or buy it online. You no longer need a photo or application form. We advise you to register your card online so that we have a record if you lose it.
How do I renew my ticket?
If you have a MetroCard you can now buy and renew your ticket online. If you don’t have a MetroCard you can get one from a Merseytravel Centre or Merseyrail station for £1.
Renew it online or at a Merseytravel Centre a few days before term starts.
How do I use my Term Time Ticket?
Place your MetroCard on the card reader next to the bus driver. Wait for the green light to show and then take your seat. It’s as simple as that.
What are the term dates for this year?
Which dates are covered by Solo Term Time Tickets?
The term dates for term time Tickets can be found here.
I have looked at the Term Time Ticket and the dates don’t meet my needs - what should I do?
Term Time Ticket dates are agreed with all Local Education Authorities across Merseyside. If the ticket is not suitable for your travel needs please visit the Merseytravel Website to see the other options available. Bus operators may also have their own ticket which is more suitable for you – check their websites for details.
How do I buy my first Smart Solo Term Time Ticket?
The quickest and easiest way to buy your first Solo Adult or Young Person’s Solo ticket is via our website. Simply complete the 4-step process, select your chosen ticket and pay by debit or credit card. Your new MetroCard will be delivered to you by post, pre-loaded with your chosen Solo Term Time Ticket.
Once the term ends please keep hold of your MetroCard, you can then renew your Term Time Ticket online later in the year.
If you are unable to apply online, you can of course visit a Merseytravel Centre across the region and buy it over the counter.
When can I buy a Solo Term Time Ticket ?
You can buy them online without having to visit a Merseytravel Centre.
You can also visit a Merseytravel Centre from early August to buy your ticket.
Are there any restrictions in place when using a Solo Term Time Ticket?
Tickets are valid Monday to Friday on term time dates only. From this year you can also use your smart Solo Term Time Ticket during half term, but the ticket cannot be used at weekends.
What if I lose my smart Solo Term Time Ticket or it is stolen?
One of the benefits of buying your Solo Term Time Ticket online is that we can hotlist your ticket so that no one else can use it.
I applied for my Solo Term Time Ticket online, when will I receive it?
You should receive your ticket within seven days. If you do not receive your ticket within seven days please email [email protected],quoting your order reference number and our team will investigate. We can prevent your lost card from being used and send you a replacement if necessary.
I no longer need my ticket can I have a refund ?
Complete a ticket surrender (PDF, 36.0KB) form online, attach your MetroCard and post this to Merseytravel, PO Box 1976, Liverpool, L69 3HN or submit it in person to your nearest Merseytravel Centre. Your ticket will be checked and the refund calculated. We will refund a Term Time Ticket in line with our refund policy. Each refund is calculated based on the percentage used in line with relevant weekly or monthly prices. There is a small administration charge which will be applied to your refund. Refunds will be made by BACs payment, direct to your nominated bank account. We are unable to issue cash or cheque refunds.
Is my Term Time Ticket valid across all areas of Merseyside?
Yes, you can use your Solo Term Time Ticket within the Merseyside area, but your ticket won’t be valid for travel in Lancashire, Cheshire or Halton
My ticket is not scanning on the bus what should I do?
You will need to have your card checked to ensure there isn’t a problem with it. If your card is reading on other buses there may be an issue with the bus driver’s ticket machine. Please visit a Merseytravel Centre where a member of staff will check and, if your card is found to be faulty, replace your card for free. If your card has been damaged, a replacement fee may be applied.
I bought my Solo Term Time Ticket online and it looks like my payment has been taken twice, how can I get a refund?
Please email [email protected] with the following details:-
- Ticket reference order number
- Date/time of the transaction
- Amount of transaction
- Last four digits of the card used to pay
- Card holder’s name
If we find your payment has been duplicated, we will refund any overpayment back on to your debit or credit card.
How will you use my personal data?
For full details of our Fair Processing Notices and how Merseytravel will use your personal date please visit our website.
I have received my email confirmation and I notice that I have entered my personal details incorrectly?
Please email [email protected] quoting your order reference number to let us have the correct details.
- Terms and Conditions of Use
1.1 These terms and conditions of use (“Terms”) (together with any documents or other items referred to in them) tell you how you may use your Solo Ticket issued by Merseytravel (“we” or “us”) when using bus services in and around Merseyside.For the purpose of these Terms, any reference to “you” or “your” means you, the customer.
1.2 Please read these Terms carefully before purchasing your Solo Ticket from us. By purchasing and using a Solo Ticket you accept these Terms.
1.3 These Terms were last updated in December 2020. We may amend these Terms from time to time by publishing any amendments or replacements to the Terms on our website: http://www.merseytravel.gov.uk (“Merseytravel Website”), which shall replace all previous versions published by us.
1.4 Reference in these Terms to the ‘Merseytravel Smartcard’ is a collective term and shall mean either a MetroCard or Walrus card on which your Solo Ticket has been added or is to be added to.
1.5 Where these Terms conflict with any other information published on the Merseytravel Website, these Terms shall have priority. - Who we are and how to contact us
2.1 The Solo Ticket scheme is organised and operated byMerseytravel, the executive body responsible for the coordination of public transport in Merseyside.
2.2 If you have questions in relation to these Terms or the Solo Ticket scheme, please contact us by emailing us on [email protected], writing to us at Merseytravel, PO Box 1976, Liverpool, L69 3HN, or by calling us on 0151 330 1000. - Where can you use the Solo Ticket
3.1 The Solo Ticket allows for travel on local bus services within Merseyside, as shown on the map on the Merseytravel Website (seehttps://www.merseytravel.gov.uk/tickets-and-pricing/ticket-types/solo-ticket/). Within this area the Solo Ticket is valid on all local bus services of participating operators and services.
3.2 Your Solo Ticket is not valid for use on:
3.2.1 one-off special event services, unless otherwise agreed by the participating bus operators;
3.2.2 private bus services or coaches; or
3.2.3 any other services as agreed by the participating bus operators.
3.3 If your journey crosses the Merseyside boundary to Cheshire, Halton, Greater Manchester or Lancashire, that part of your journey is not covered by the Solo Ticket and you will be subject to additional fares from the point you leave Merseyside to your final destination. You are responsible for ensuring that your Solo Ticket covers your entire journey and where it does not, that you have purchased any additional tickets required to reach your destination before setting off. - Who can use a Solo Ticket and when
4.1 Adult Solo Tickets are for persons aged 19 or over. They may be bought as tickets valid for:
4.1.1 one day (Solo Adult Day Ticket) which can be purchased in paper format or added straight to your Merseytravel Smartcard and will be valid on the day you buy it. A one day solo ticket is available on the bus from the driver;
4.1.2 bundles of 1,3 or 5 Day Solo Tickets (Solo Adult Bundle) which can be added straight to your Merseytravel Smartcard and will be valid from the day you activate it;
4.1.3 one week (Solo Adult Weekly Ticket) which can be added straight to your Merseytravel Smartcard and will be valid from the day you first use or activate it;
4.1.4 four weeks (Solo Adult 4 Weekly Ticket) which can be added straight to your Merseytravel Smartcard and will be valid from the day you first use or activate it;
4.1.5 an academic term (Solo Adult Term Time Ticket) which can be added straight to your Merseytravel Smartcard and will be valid Monday to Friday during that term, including any half term; and
4.1.6 a year (Solo Adult Annual Ticket) which can be purchased in paper format and will be valid from the day you first use it. The Solo Adult Annual Ticket will also specify its date of expiry.
4.2 Young Persons’ Solo Tickets are for persons aged 5 to 18. They may be bought as tickets valid for:
4.2.1 one week (Solo Young Person Weekly Ticket) which can be added straight to your Merseytravel Smartcard and will be valid from the day you first use or activate it;
4.2.2 four weeks (Solo Young Person 4 Weekly Ticket) which can be added straight to your Merseytravel Smartcard and will be valid from the day you activate it; and
4.2.3 an academic term (Solo Young Persons Term Time Ticket) which can be added straight to your Merseytravel Smartcard and will be valid Monday to Friday during that term, including any half term. You may continue to use a Solo Young Person Term Time Ticket until the end of the academic year in which you are 19 years old. For the avoidance of doubt, you will then be required to buy an adult ticket.
4.3 Apprentice Solo Tickets are for persons aged 19-24 who are enrolled on an apprenticeship programme of study and who live within the Liverpool City Region with an Apprentice Travelcard. Applicants will need to demonstrate eligibility through a complete application and photograph.
4.4 The Apprentice travel discount card is available from the point of purchase for 12 months, or until completion of the apprenticeship, whichever comes first. Upon completion of an apprenticeship, it is your responsibility to notify us of this as your Apprentice travel discount will no longer be valid from this point. Following receipt of this information, we will hotlist the card preventing further usage. Failure to notify us on completion of an apprenticeship shall constitute a misuse of the Solo Ticket and will be subject to any sanctions referred to in clause 8 below.
4.5 They may be bought as tickets valid for:
4.5.1 one week (Solo Apprentice Weekly Ticket) which can be added straight to your Apprentice Travelcard and will be valid from the day you first use or activate it; and
4.5.2 four weeks (Solo Apprentice 4 Weekly Ticket) which can be added straight to your Apprentice Travelcard and will be valid from the day you first use or activate it.
4.6 Subject to clause 4.7, you can only use a Solo Ticket on the dates for which it is valid and until 02:59 am on the day following the expiry of the Solo Ticket.
4.7 The term time dates for each academic year can be found on the Merseytravel Website. We recommend that you check with your school, college, academy or university to make sure that the term time dates for which the Solo Term Time Ticket will be valid are suitable for your journeys. - Using your Solo Ticket
5.1 Each time you board and alight a bus, it counts as a separate journey.
5.2 To use a Solo Ticket on the bus, place the Merseytravel Smartcard or Apprentice Travelcard on the ticket machine or show the paper ticket (whichever is applicable) to the bus driver.
5.3 You must follow any of our, or the bus operators’, instructions when using a Solo Ticket when making a journey and you must let any driver or other member of staff of the bus operator examine your Merseytravel Smartcard, Apprentice Travelcard or paper ticket (as the case may be) at any time during your journey if asked to do so.
5.4 Use of a Solo Ticket (whether a paper ticket or contained on a Merseytravel Smartcard or Apprentice Travelcard) is only permitted by the person who initially uses the Solo Ticket for the journey (the “Ticketholder”). Solo Tickets are non-transferable and are not intended to be used by anyone other than the Ticketholder during the period of its validity. Any use of the Solo Ticket by anyone other than the Ticketholder shall constitute a misuse of the Solo Ticket and is subject to any sanctions referred to in clause 8 below.
5.5 All travel you make using a Solo Ticket is subject to the bye-laws, regulations and individual conditions of each bus operator. - Buying Solo Tickets
6.1 Prior to purchasing a Solo Ticket on a Smartcard, you must have obtained your Merseytravel Smartcard or Apprentice Travelcard (as applicable).
6.2 There is an initial one off activation fee for Merseytravel Smartcards, the cost of which is listed on the Merseytravel Website (subject to any activation fee increase that we may determine from time to time). The initial activation must be paid to enable any Solo Ticket to be loaded onto a Merseytravel Smartcard.
6.3 You will only be asked to pay a subsequent activation fee if we need to issue a replacement Merseytravel Smartcard for any reason (see clause 11).
6.4 We, our participating bus operators and retailers, reserve the right to refuse your purchase if you do not provide acceptable proof of age if requested at the point of sale. Acceptance of your proof of age is at the sole discretion of us, the retailer or the bus operator. The following may be documents that can be used to prove your age: valid school ID, passport, drivers or provisional license, national ID or any other official document that contains both a photograph of yourself and your date of birth. - Where can you buy a Solo Ticket
7.1 You can purchase Solo Adult Day Tickets from the bus driver.
7.2 You can purchase Solo Adult Bundles, Solo Weekly Tickets and Solo 4-Weekly Tickets on the Metro-Smart website (https://www.metro-smart.org.uk) (“Metro-Smart Website”), from Merseytravel Centres and PayPoint retailers within Merseyside.
7.3 You can purchase Solo Term Time Adult and Young Persons Tickets from Merseytravel Centres or on-line through the Metro-Smart Website.
7.4 You can purchase Solo Adult Annual Tickets from any Merseytravel Centre. You will need to provide us with a passport sized photograph (photocopies and photographs are not accepted) at the time you purchase your paper Solo Adult Annual Ticket. For the avoidance of doubt, you shall be responsible for the cost of obtaining the passport photograph to be used.
7.5 The Metro-Smart Website accepts the use of most major debit and credit cards (excluding American Express) when purchasing Solo Tickets. - Misuse
8.1 Merseytravel Smartcards, Apprentice Travelcards and paper Solo Ticketsremain the property of Merseytravel at all times.
8.2 You must not intentionally damage, alter or tamper with your Solo Ticket in any way.
8.3 We may withdraw your Solo Ticket, including refusing to accept the continued use of such Solo Ticket and refusing to make it available on a Merseytravel Smartcard or Apprentice Travelcard where it has, or we have reason to suspect that it has, been misused or used for any fraudulent or improper purpose.
8.4 In serious or repeat cases of Solo Ticket misuse or fraud, we reserve the right to commence legal proceedings if we deem it necessary.
8.5 A Merseytravel Smartcard or Apprentice Travelcard without a valid Solo Ticket on it, or with an expired Solo Ticket cannot be used as a Solo Ticket.
8.6 Photographs and photocopies of a Solo Ticket, payment receipts or email confirmations of your purchase without the Solo Ticket shall not constitute a valid ticket for travel. - Deactivation
If a Merseytravel Smartcard has not been used for a continuous period of 12 months, we reserve the right to deactivate the Merseytravel Smartcard, thereby preventing further Solo Tickets being added to it. An Apprentice Travelcard will have an expiry date printed on the card which will be 12 months from the date of application of the card. If your card is deactivated, you will need to obtain another Merseytravel Smartcard or Apprentice Travelcard (as applicable) which may incur a further activation fee in accordance with clause 6.2 above. - Refunds
10.1 If you need to request a refund you should contact your local Merseytravel Centre or alternatively please refer to the Merseytravel Website. We can also be contacted using the contact details set out in clause 2.2.
10.2 Refund requests are, subject to surrender of the ticket, refundable in line with our refund policy, a copy of which is contained on the Merseytravel Website. Each refund is calculated on the percentage of the ticket used in line with the relevant Solo Ticket prices and are subject to an administration fee, the cost of which is listed on the Merseytravel Website.
10.3 Solo Adult and Young Person 4 Weekly Tickets that are available on the Merseytravel Smartcard only and Solo Adult Annual Tickets sold as paper tickets shall be refundable where:
10.3.1 evidence of the purchase is provided in the form of a valid receipt or confirmation email as proof of purchase;
10.3.2 your bank or BACS details are provided to allow us to process your refund in accordance with clause 10.7. Tickets purchased online will be refunded back to the credit or debit card on which the original payment was made; and
10.3.3 the Solo Ticket is surrendered to us with the request for a refund.
10.4 Any Solo Tickets loaded on to Merseytravel Smartcards or Apprentice Travelcards (as applicable) shall be refundable where:
10.4.1 the request for a refund is made within 3 months of the date that the Solo Ticket is purchased;
10.4.2 the ticket has not been partially used;
10.4.3 a valid receipt or confirmation email as proof of purchase is provided;
10.4.4 your bank or BACS details are provided to allow us to process your refund in accordance with clause 10.7. Tickets purchased online will be refunded back to the original debit or credit card on which the original payment was made; and
10.4.5 the Merseytravel Smartcard with the Solo Ticket is surrendered to us with the request for a refund.
10.5 A Solo Ticket will be considered unused even if it has been activated on a Merseytravel Smartcard or Apprentice Travelcard if you have not used it to make any journeys.
10.6 Refunds for partially used Solo Tickets are calculated on a pro rata basis, taking in to account the amount of the Solo Ticket used. Any refund in accordance with this clause 10.6 shall be processed by us provided that:
10.6.1 the partially used Solo Ticket is surrendered;
10.6.2 your bank or BACS details are provided to allow us to process your refund in accordance with clause 10.7. Tickets purchased online will be refunded back to the original debit or credit card on which the original payment was made; and
10.6.3 a valid receipt is submitted to us with the request for a refund.
10.7 All monies refunded to you shall be effected by way of bank transfer, BACS or refunded to the original debit or credit card used to purchase the Solo Ticket. - Lost/Stolen Solo Tickets
11.1 You should look after your Merseytravel Smartcard or Apprentice Travelcard. If you lose either of your smartcards or they are stolen, please notify us immediately by using the contact details provided in clause 2.2. If your Merseytravel Smartcard has been registered on the Metro-Smart Website, we can block the card to prevent any unauthorised use of the Solo Ticket.
11.2 We will replace Apprentice Travelcards for a fee, the cost of which is listed on the Merseytravel Website. There is no activation fee applicable for a replacement Apprentice Travelcard.
11.3 We will replace any remaining validity of Solo 4 Weekly Tickets and Solo Term Time Tickets on your replacement Merseytravel Smartcard or Apprentice Travelcard (provided that it has been reactivated in accordance with clause 6.3). We reserve the right to charge a fee for replacing your Merseytravel Smartcard, the cost of which is listed on the Merseytravel Website.
11.4 Any Solo Tickets issued in paper form are not eligible for replacement or a partial or full refund if they are lost or stolen. This clause also applies to accidental destruction of a paper Solo Ticket. - Liability
Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in these Terms is correct, we cannot be held legally responsible for any inaccuracies or omissions in these Terms. - Privacy Policy
The personal data you provide us in relation to the Solo Tickets and on the Merseytravel Website is subject to our Privacy Policy. Please make sure you read our PrivacyPolicy so you understand how we process your personal data and our personal data practices. - Waiver
14.1 Any failure by us to insist upon strict performance of any of your obligations under these Terms, or any failure to exercise any of our rights or under these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of our rights or remedies and will not relieve you from compliance with such obligations.
14.2 A waiver by us of any default will not constitute a waiver of any subsequent default.
14.3 No waiver by us of any of these Terms will be effective unless it is expressly stated to be a waiver and is communicated to you in writing. - Severability
15.1 If any provision in these Terms is found by any court or administrative body of competent jurisdiction to be invalid or unenforceable, such invalidity or unenforceability will not affect the other provisions in these Terms which shall remain in full force and effect.
15.2 If any provision in these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable but would cease to be invalid or unenforceable if some part of the provision were deleted, the provision in question shall apply with such modification as may be necessary to make it valid and enforceable. - Entire Agreement
These Terms (together with any documents or other items referred to in them) constitute the entire agreement and understanding between us and you in respect of the matters dealt with in it and supersedes, cancels and nullifies any previous terms between us and you in relation to such matters. - Law and Jurisdiction
These Terms, and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them or their subject matter (including non-contractual disputes or claims), shall be governed by English law. Any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with these Terms (including non-contractual disputes or claims) will be subject to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.