Looking for a new job can be a costly task at a time of limited income, but the JobCentre Plus Travel Discount Card is available to help with the cost of travelling to interviews.
The Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card is available to eligible people in England, Wales and Scotland who have been out of work for 12 weeks or longer. It offers jobseekers a 50% discount on train fares as they travel to interviews, to the Jobcentre or to and from training, for up to three months at a time.
Nationally, between March 2017 and March 2018, 518,822 discounted journeys were made by jobseekers, with 1662 jobseekers having taken advantage of the discount card’s benefits in Brentwood and Ongar.
Brentwood and Ongar MP, Alex Burghart, said: "It is great to see the train companies and Jobcentre Plus working together to give jobseekers a helping hand. The cost of travel can sometimes be a barrier to getting to interviews and training, however it is initiatives like these that are making the difference in getting people into work and the Rail Delivery Group has done well to raise awareness for this scheme.”
Paul Plummer, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group, which brings together train companies and Network Rail to enable a better railway, said: “Getting more people into work is part of our long‐term plan to change and improve. The partnership railway is committed to spreading economic prosperity across the country. Over half a million discounted journeys were made in the last year but we want to make sure that everyone who is eligible to discounted journeys, in all parts of the country, know about the discounts available.”
Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card eligibility: To be eligible for the discount card, one of the following criteria must be satisfied:
- Claiming Jobseekers Allowance or Universal Credit AND are aged 18-24 and have been unemployed for 13-39 weeks
- Claiming Jobseekers Allowance or Universal Credit AND are 25 or over and have been unemployed for 13-52 weeks
- Claiming Incapacity Benefit, Employment & Support Allowance or Income Support AND are actively engaged with an advisor in returning to employment
The card provides discounts of 50% on Anytime Day tickets, Off Peak Day tickets, and Season tickets up to three months in duration. The card is valid on all British train operator services and can be used to purchase tickets online, including National Rail Enquiries, at ticket machines and ticket offices.