A Sheffield jobseeker had reason to celebrate last week after landing her first job - and winning three months free travel in a competition to get there too.
South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) launched the competition as part of its Access to Opportunities project, which helps residents in South Yorkshire get to work, education and training using sustainable transport.
Lisa Sheppard (18) from Woodhouse was the lucky winner drawn at random from competition entries to win a three-month TravelMaster – giving her free bus, train and tram travel across South Yorkshire.
She said: “I was on the Travel South Yorkshire website when I saw the competition and thought I’d enter it. I recently got a job as a sales assistant after looking for a long time. It’s my first job, so the win has come at the right time because I can use my TravelMaster to get there and back, so it will save me a lot of money. I can also now get to my friend’s birthday party and start to have a social life!”
Access to Opportunities provides free travel advice and support from a specialist team of dedicated Travel Advisors. Tailored to suit individual needs, it can help people who have not used public transport before, or that need to get to places they may never have visited.
SYPTE’s ERDF Project Co-ordinator, Edward Fletcher, said: “People often need access to reliable transport to get to work, training or college. SYPTE’s Access to Opportunities scheme is a way of helping people like Lisa to get over any problems that might keep them from getting there.
“As part of this project we’ve also enhanced bus services across the Dearne Valley area to improve access to job and training opportunities. Additionally, where public transport has not been a viable option, we offer people access to the low cost loan of a motor scooter through the South Yorkshire Wheels to Work scheme.”
Access to Opportunities is supported financially by the European Union’s European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and has also previously received funding from the Coalfields Regeneration Trust and the Local Transport Plan.
For more information visit travelsouthyorkshire.com/work