(12 Feb 2023, 6:02 pm)MurdnunoC wrote It was more or less the same when I attended school in the early-mid 90s. Although it didn't apply to me as I lived within walking distance of the school, pupils were issued with a red bus pass which permitted travel between two points (School and, for example, Whickham, Rowlands Gill, Ryton, Dunston, Chopwell etc.) within specific time-windows before and after school.

Like you, I knew of pupils who opted not to use the school bus for whatever reason, and travelled to Metrocentre before transferring onto another service. As far as I'm aware, nobody was ever refused travel for doing this.

Same school era, but we were issued with the TWPTE Cat pass that meant we paid the child fare of 15p (went up to 20p) and we could use any bus we wanted.
There were scholars (some commercially operated), but it was just as easy using a normal public service.

Had no idea those passes you mention were even a thing within T&W back then.