If you’re aged 5 to 10 and live or go to school in Greater Manchester, you will need an igo card to buy some of the tickets available for the concessionary child bus fare in Greater Manchester. If you are aged 11 to 16, you must have an igo card to travel using any child ticket on buses in Greater Manchester.

You can also use your igo card as proof of age for travelling by tram with a child ticket. You will need proof of age ID from age 11 on Metrolink.

Do you qualify?

To qualify for an igo card you must be:

  • aged between 5 and 16
  • be a permanent resident of, or go to school in, Greater Manchester

Costs and benefits

An igo card costs £10 and lasts until 31 August after your 16th birthday.

The card allows 11-16 year olds to travel using child tickets on buses and trams in Greater Manchester. It also allows all children, including 5-10 year olds, to buy bus tickets that are not available without an igo, like the TfGM schools weekly ticket and 10 trip carnet (available on school bus services only), smart versions of  System One Junior, AnyBus tickets and some tickets sold by individual bus companies.

You can also buy child tram tickets at getmethere.com and load them onto your igo card.

How to use the card

If you have a get me there ticket loaded onto your igo card, you must always remember to:

  • touch in at the card reader when boarding buses (including school buses)
  • touch in and touch out at a yellow smart reader on tram stops, for Metrolink

For paper tickets, you will be asked to show your igo when buying a ticket on a bus and when inspected during your journey on trams.

The smart readers on tram stops now accept contactless cards and devices for travel. Please move your igo card away from your payment cards, when you use a smart reader. For example, if you keep your card in a wallet or purse, remove it before you touch-in and touch-out. This will make sure you’re not charged on a contactless card you didn’t intend to use.

Apply for an igo

Apply by post

Download an igo application form or get one from a TfGM Travelshop.

If you are eligible complete the relevant form and attach:

  • a passport-sized colour photo of yourself
  • proof of your name and age – a copy (not original) of your birth certificate, adoption certificate, medical card, passport or EU/EEA card. Please do not send original documents.
  • payment details (for the £10 fee)

Post your documents to the FREEPOST address on the application form.

Apply in a Travelshop

Download an igo application form or get one from a TfGM Travelshop.

If you are eligible complete the relevant form and attach:

  • a passport-sized colour photo of yourself
  • proof of your name and age – a copy (not original) of your birth certificate, adoption certificate, medical card, passport or EU/EEA card. Please do not send original documents.
  • payment details (for the £10 fee)

You can take your form and proof to a Travelshop who can check and take payment.

If you lose your igo card

There is a £10.00 administration cost for the replacement of a lost, damaged or stolen igo card.

To order a replacement card you can:

  • Call TfGM on 0161 244 1000 to make a card payment (7am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 8pm at weekends and public holidays).
  • Visit a Travelshop to order and pay for a replacement pass.

You must pay the full fare on buses until your replacement igo arrives.

When you're too old for your igo pass

You can only use the igo card up to the 31st August after your 16th birthday.

Our Pass is a new scheme for young people aged 16-18, which entitles holders to free travel on local bus services across Greater Manchester and they can also buy off-peak 1-day and weekend travelcards for the tram (Metrolink) at half adult prices. If you live in Greater Manchester, you can find out if you’re eligible and apply for Our Pass at the ourpass.co.uk website.

See other low-cost travel options for young people

Terms and conditions

  • The igo card proves that the holder is entitled to travel at the current concessionary fare within the area of Greater Manchester.
  • The igo card may only be used by the person whose name and photograph are printed on the card and until the expiry date shown.
  • The igo card must be shown to the bus driver and to any other official who requests it during the journey.
  • Proof of identity, if requested, must also be provided.
  • The igo card is not valid if defaced in any way.
  • Misuse may result in withdrawal of the igo card and legal proceedings may be undertaken.
  • The igo card is issued subject to all current passenger regulations and bye-laws of Transport for Greater Manchester and the Operators on whose services it is valid for use.
  • If you have loaded a smart product on to your igo card, then:
    -if you are travelling on the Metrolink tram service, you must hold your igo card to the touchplate of, and wait for an audible response from, the smart reader provided at the Metrolink stop (i) where you begin your journey (this is known as a ‘touch in’) and (ii) where you finish your journey (this is known as a ‘touch out’); and
    -if you are travelling on a school bus service, or a commercial bus service, the presentation of your igo card will be determined by the conditions of carriage/passenger regulations of the operator providing the bus service, but you will generally be required to touch in at the electronic ticket machine provided on the relevant bus service.

  • The ‘Terms and conditions for use of TfGM smart cards’ set out further details as to the requirement to touch in and touch out on the Metrolink tram service, and further govern your use of an igo card – please refer to: https://www.getmethere.com/terms-and-conditions. If there is a conflict between (i) these igo card terms and conditions and the content of tfgm.com/tickets-and-passes/igo-pass (igo Website) and (ii) the ‘Terms and conditions for use of TfGM smart cards’, then these terms and the content of the igo Website shall prevail.

  • Please ensure that you read the section of our Privacy Policy that is relevant to your use of an igo card, available here: https://tfgm.com/privacy-policy/customer-relations.
  • If the igo card is no longer required, out of date, defaced or found the card should be returned to Travel Concessions, Transport for Greater Manchester PO Box 429, Manchester, M60 1HX.