A local scout group was given 130 Robin Hood pay-as-you-go cards to allow their youngsters to take part in a Monopoly-style race around Nottingham.
The Robin Hood Operators’ Group donated the free travel passes to the 1st Chilwell and Attenborough Scout Group to help Explorers, Scouts, and Cubs join the second annual Oligopoly event.
Based loosely on the famous board game Monopoly, this version sees them racing around the city, visiting different sites and earning points for each location they land at. Additional challenges during game time can earn extra rewards.
Cubs and Scouts have to visit locations within the city, while the older Explorer teams must go further afield, covering the spread of the tram network.
The main aim of Oligopoly is to help young people develop a range of skills, such as teamwork, leadership, strategic thinking, communication, independence, and urban navigation using public transport. The pay-as-you-go cards enable the scout group to use all buses and trams across the Greater Nottingham area.
Last year, the group had around 90 participants, but this year that number has grown considerably to around 300 people across the three game formats from six different counties.
The offer of free travel cards for the Robin Hood network follows a similar donation to the sight-loss charity Guide Dogs, which by June this year had seen more than 600 journeys made by guide dogs in training and their handlers. The aim was to help familiarise the dogs with different modes of public transport, such as buses and trams.
Councillor Neghat Khan, Leader of Nottingham City Council and Executive Member for Transport, said: “We’re delighted to continue to support the scout group through the Robin Hood Network, as we have with the Guide Dogs charity in the past.
“Public transport plays a major role in improving access across the city, so we were very happy to help out in this way and support the second year of Oligopoly – especially with so many more young people taking part this time.
“Navigating around cities and wider conurbations is a really important life skill for youngsters, and we were delighted to play a small part in that.”
Jake Dixon, Scout Team Leader from the 1st Chilwell and Attenborough Scout Group, said: “We’re really grateful for the donation from Nottingham City Council, which has enabled these youngsters to develop their urban navigation skills and learn how to use public transport safely.
“Scouts prepares young people with skills for life, and Oligopoly is a great example of how we can do this while embracing modern technology, and also having fun.
“The event was a great success, with so many participants expressing how much they enjoyed it, and we are already looking towards how we can continue to grow Oligopoly in 2025 and beyond.”
Among the operators allowing use of the travel cards are CT4N, Kinchbus, NET Tram, Nottingham City Council’s Linkbuses, Nottingham City Transport, and trentbarton.
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