If your child’s school is a Metro ride away or they are keen to go on the trains by themselves for leisure, you might wonder just when they are allowed to travel by themselves.
Many parents start thinking about allowing their children to travel by themselves when they start secondary school. But is there a certain age when youngsters are permitted to go on the Metro alone?
ChronicleLive asked Nexus about the matter and they said there is no legal age specified in the conditions of carriage for children to travel unaccompanied. The responsibility for making the decision on the right age rests with a child’s parent or guardian.
However, the Metro customer service teams are trained to provide support to young people if they need it. They are trained to look out for children travelling alone and spot any signs of vulnerability.
Lynne Dickinson, station delivery manager at Nexus, said: “At Nexus we have a dedicated youth liaison officer who visits hundreds of local schools each and every year to promote safe Metro travel. This covers railway safety and good behaviour when travelling on the system. We are committed to working with young people to promote Metro as they are the customers who will be travelling with us long into the future.
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“There are no conditions of carriage which prohibits minors from unaccompanied travel on the Tyne and Wear Metro. The responsibility for deciding whether or not a child should travel unaccompanied on Metro rests with a child’s parent or guardian. We would expect a child to be accompanied by a parent or guardian if they don’t feel confident to travel by themselves.
“Our Metro customer service teams are trained to provide support to young people should they require it. They are trained to look out for children travelling alone and spot any signs that they might be vulnerable. If a young person requires assistance they can contact a Metro Customer Service Advisor at a station, or use a station Help Point, which puts them in direct contact with the Metro Control Room.”
Meanwhile, the Government has guidance on the law on leaving your child on their own, which should also be considered. It says: “The law does not say an age when you can leave a child on their own, but it’s an offence to leave a child alone if it places them at risk.
“Use your judgement on how mature your child is before you decide to leave them alone, for example at home or in a car. Parents can be prosecuted if they leave a child unsupervised ‘in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury to health’.”
It is also useful to know what the NSPCC children’s charity says about the age a child can come home from school alone. Its website states: “There’s no legal age that your child can travel home from school alone – this is up to you and your best judgement, or your school’s rules and policies. However, you should never leave a child alone who isn’t ready or is unable to care for themselves.”
More advice on children coming home from school alone is available on the NSPCC website here. It includes a list of things parents should check before making a decision.