Students and apprentices in the Hunter Region can apply for a new $250 travel card to help with the cost of the commute to work, training and university.
Those eligible must be aged from 16 to pension age [66] and doing an apprenticeship, traineeship or university course that is full-time and face-to-face.
To be considered eligible, a participant must "reside in a regional location outside Greater Sydney and the Newcastle and Wollongong City Council boundaries".
Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole announced the travel card on Sunday, saying it would "take the pressure off the hip pocket of apprentices, trainees and university students in regional NSW".
"We know apprentices and university students in the bush often need to travel long distances for work or between training, classes and practical learning - and this is about easing that burden," Mr Toole said.
"It puts $250 in their pocket to help them cover the cost of filling up the tank or catching public transport to campus."
Asked why City of Newcastle residents weren't eligible for the card, a spokesperson for Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway said those eligible "must reside in a regional location as defined by the Restart NSW Fund Act 2011".
The same applied to the Regional Seniors Travel Card, which Mr Toole said involved "more than one million cards making a real difference to the everyday lives of regional seniors and injecting nearly $200 million into the state's economy."
Mr Farraway said apprentices will be the first to access the new card under a two-year trial, which will open to applications in February next year. University students will follow in April.
"Whether you're a 16-year-old mechanic apprentice or a 60-year-old university student studying teaching, if you live in the bush you may be eligible for the travel card," Mr Farraway said.
"The prepaid debit card can be used for taxi trips, fuel, Opal card top ups, public transport, privately-operated coaches and electric charging stations."
He said giving some money to apprentices and university students would "make a difference".
WHAT DO YOU THINK? We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on the Newcastle Herald website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. Sign up for a subscription here.
