A mum is in dispute with a bus company after her teenage daughter was charged an adult fare for a journey, despite having a travel pass.

On Monday morning, Nikki Bartholomew boarded the number 5 Arriva bus from Cranbrook to visit her boyfriend in Sandhurst.

The 15-year-old was told her permit was not valid during school holidays, and was instead charged £3.60, an adult fare, for the one-way journey.

Now, her mum, Sarah, is demanding compensation from the company, which she
says did not act within the agreed boundaries.

The Young Person’s Travel Pass is issued by Kent County Council (KCC) for use on buses around the county, and is valid from the start of the school year until July 31, between 6am and 7pm, Monday to Friday.

This includes use during school breaks, excluding the summer holidays.

Children without a pass are charged the adult fare before 9am. Nikki not only had a pass, but was also travelling just after 10am.

Ms Bartholomew, a single parent of Oatfield Drive, pays £540 a year in total for passes for Nikki and her 13-year-old son Zak.

The children mainly use their passes to get to and from school in Tenterden.

Their 44-year-old mum says neither of them have ever had any issues before.

“As they are getting older they are using them more to meet with friends.

“It’s an important skill for them to be independent instead of relying on mum all the time,” she said.

When Ms Bartholomew originally went to Arriva to complain via their Facebook page, she was told there could be an issue with the pass, and to go to her local authority, which she says is “passing the buck”.

She asked: “If it worked fine with no issues until Friday, why should it suddenly not work now?”

A spokesman for Arriva said that the complaint had been passed to the depot manager for an investigation, and the company aims to respond within 10 days.