They are at that difficult age. Youngsters in their mid-teens yearn for independence, but are still hugely reliant on their parents.

The YO Zone card will help teenagers to cut at least one of the apron strings, however. This imaginative initiative means that every 14 to 16-year-old in York can travel on buses for a child fare.

It is a scheme that should benefit all involved. The teenagers will be able to afford a little freedom; their parents will no longer have to run a chauffeur service; and the bus companies should enjoy a boost in custom.

The YO Zone card will also get young people into the habit of using public transport. That can only be a good thing at a time when we are striving to become a less car-dominated society.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.