Schoolchildren who do not own smartphones may end up paying hundreds of pounds more each year for bus travel, as cheaper travel passes are increasingly available only through apps. Critics say this shift undermines government advice to keep mobile phones out of schools. Adele Kightley, a parent in Derbyshire, says her 11-year-old daughter faces paying an extra £546 annually for school travel. This is because a discount scheme introduced by Derbyshire county council is only accessible through a smartphone app. The b_line card, which limits single bus fares to £1.50 for those under 18, requires users to register their card via an app to get the discount. Kightley explained that her family chose not to give her daughter a smartphone, instead using a basic phone. “To get the trentbarton young person discount, a child must link their student card with the app,” she said. “But they can’t get the same discount by showing the same student card to the driver and paying by cash or card.” Trentbarton, the bus company, said its ticketing machines are not set up to read the council-issued cards. A spokesperson said the company is working on a new physical card to provide the discounted b_line fare for under-19s. In the meantime, they said all young people will continue to get discounts on adult fares, regardless of how they pay. The East Midlands combined county authority said it understands the concerns of parents who want to avoid smartphones for their children and will consider how young people access discounted fares as it develops the region’s ticketing strategy. Critics argue that the trend toward digital-only passes is making it harder for lower-income families and is also undermining efforts to reduce children’s screen time. Daisy Greenwell, co-founder of the campaign group Smartphone Free Childhood, said the shift is making it harder for parents and schools trying to delay smartphones for children. “In many parts of the country, bus companies are making it much harder by charging smartphone-free children up to twice as much for the same journey,” she said. More than 200,000 parents have signed up to the group’s “parent pact,” which aims to delay getting children smartphones until at least 14. Other bus operators, such as Stagecoach and Compass, also require children to have a smartphone to access the best discounts. Kightley said her family chose not to give smartphones to their children due to concerns about the impact on developing brains. “When our younger child starts secondary school, it will cost us nearly £1,100 a year more than it would if they had access to the discount through the app,” she said. A law banning the use of mobile phones in English schools came into effect in June, though it does not cover phone use during travel to school. The Department for Education said app-only discounts are a matter for individual bus operators. Greenwell said this creates mixed messages. “Bus fares shouldn’t be a barrier to schools choosing policies where smartphones aren’t brought on site,” she said. “There is a clear opportunity for the government and bus companies to fix this so every child can access the same fare, regardless of whether they carry a smartphone.”