‘There was just such a buzz’: Uni’s festival proves to be a hit

Boost on the buses to switch to verified ID

YOUNGER bus passengers will need to verify their age if they are to continue taking advantage of cheaper fares.

The Boost scheme, is open to university and college students, and anyone aged 18 or under.

From Tuesday, June 1, Reading Buses will be introducing the verification scheme for those buying tickets via the app.

They will have to upload a selfie and a picture show ID that confirms their age. Their app will then be verified within 48 hours.

On future use, the selfie will be displayed on the app ticket so bus drivers can be certain the student is who they say they are.

Robert Williams, Reading Buses’ chief executive officer, said: “We are introducing this verification process after a successful trial at our sister company, Thames Valley Buses.

“The process is very simple and will help us to ensure that the substantial discount we offer to young people to help them travel about more easily is protected.

“The ID that people can use for age verification will be a birth certificate, passport, driving licence (for students), or a PASS accredited card such as Citizencard.”

He continued: “For University of Reading and the various college students, they can use their university or college ID to be verified for one year and will then have to re-verify the next academic year.

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By JI-MIN LEE jlee@rdg,today

THOUSANDS of visitors were welcomed onto the University of Reading’s Whiteknights campus for its inaugural Community Festival on Saturday.

With a wide range of activities, performances and presentations available for guests to enjoy, the day proved to be a true family affair which showcased the diversity in both the university and the Reading itself.

The main stage saw the likes of Sungura Magic, Vocal Networking and South Asian performing arts group Kalakunj get people on their feet and moving around, while the sports taster sessions also achieved the same goal.

The event served as the ideal opportunity for the university and town to come together and learn more about one another, while having a great time.

Molli Cleaver, the university’s community relations manager, said: “Given it was the first time we were holding the festival, we weren’t sure what to expect but there was just such a buzz here.

“It’s so amazing to see children, families and so many people across the community coming together, having fun and celebrating.

“The variety of activities is a great reflection of not only our university, but also our community. There’s so much diversity and variety, and I’m really glad we could present that by working with the community, as well as putting on a festival for the community.”

Multilingual storytimes in languages such as Arabic, Mandarin, Greek and Spanish allowed youngsters to hone their linguistic skills, while charities and initiatives such as the Oxford Road Lifespring stories shared their work with visitors.

The Students’ Union building housed presentation boards where leading academics engaged with visitors young and old, showcasing their very latest research. From bees to virtual reality, there was something to get everyone thinking about.

The Department of Crop Science’s ‘Raising the Pulse’ project has recently received national acclaim for its work in implementing the proteinrich faba bean in loaves of bread.

Prof Donal O’Sullivan, one of the project’s coinvestigators, said: “It’s been very energising and exciting to meet people of all ages, from the youngest kids who are maybe seeing a bean for the first time to people who know and love broad beans and eat them on a regular basis, and everyone in between.

“I’m going to go away and remember the feedback that we got from the community today and hopefully the community will go away and remember some of the interesting research that’s going on at the University of Reading.

“I met a young lad who’s in Year 8 and I told him, ‘You’ve got a job here at the uni when you finish school because you’re so clued up’. That’s really nice to experience.”

“Any existing Boost tickets will continue to work without verification until their expiry, but any new tickets purchased from June 1 will require the person to be verified before they can activate the ticket.

“There are no changes to Boost tickets purchased in person where ID is only required if you look over 18.” n Full details of the new verification process, which can only be started when it launches on June 1, is on the firm’s website, www.reading-buses.co.uk