Youth Travel Ambassadors
What is the Youth Travel Ambassador programme?
Learn more about the Youth Travel Ambassadors programme and how it can empower students.
Youth Travel Ambassadors in action
Read examples of the great work being done across Greater Manchester.
Help transform the school run
Learn how your school could be part of the YTA programme
Youth Travel Ambassadors
Empowering students to make change by addressing transport issues affecting their communities
The Youth Travel Ambassador (YTA) programme helps schools create a team of student ambassadors, who work together to make getting to school safer and easier for everyone. The aim is to help more people walk, wheel, or cycle to school – supporting better health, reducing traffic, and improving air quality.
Many schools across Greater Manchester have been part of the YTA programme since it started in 2022, with hundreds of students nominated as ambassadors for their school, and thousands of students participating in active travel campaigns.
The benefits of participating are far-reaching, with students experiencing improvements to health and wellbeing, and developing communication, research, presentation, and collaboration skills.
School communities benefit too – with a reduction in car use contributing to safer roads and improved air quality.
How it works
A team of 8-12 ambassadors is appointed and with support from a TfGM YTA Coordinator and a school staff lead, students take part in a series of sessions to research travel barriers and issues and design an active travel campaign.
Ambassadors then deliver their campaign in school, enabling and encouraging more pupils and staff to walk, wheel and cycle to school, improving health and wellbeing, reducing congestion, and improving air quality around school.
This factsheet outlines the programme process.
YTA aims to:
Establish a team of student ambassadors empowered to address transport issues within their school community
Create sustained changes in travel behaviour, increasing the number of students and staff travelling actively and sustainably to and from school
Build a network of schools committed to improving travel behaviours
Strengthen support networks for schools, including links with local authorities and sustainable travel organisations across Greater Manchester.
Students will develop skills in a variety of areas including:
Presenting and public speaking
Leadership and project management Collecting and analysing data
Creating PowerPoint presentations
Using maps and planning journeys
Understanding the benefits of active travel
Marketing and promotion
Working to improve the school community
Five steps to delivering a successful YTA Campaign
Sessions are flexible and can be delivered in a way that works best for each school – whether that is spread across the year or all in one day.
However the sessions are delivered, YTA teams will follow these five key steps:
Research travel issues and barriers within their school community.
Develop solutions and an active travel campaign plan.
Pitch for funding at an inter-school event.
Launch and deliver their campaign in school.
Monitor and evaluate impact.
This handbook provides detail about the programme.
Youth Travel Ambassadors in action
Empowering students to make change by addressing transport issues affecting their communities
What’s been done previously
Here are a few examples of the great work YTAs have been doing across Greater Manchester:
Altrincham Grammar School for Girls YTAs delivered a range of active travel initiatives to get more of their peers walking, wheeling and cycling. Some of these included cycle training courses, puncture repair workshops, competitions like ‘Active Travel Bingo’ and ‘12k Steps of Xmas’, and ‘Walk Like A Bee Day’ to celebrate the Bee Network in our local area. They also introduced a ‘Park and Stride’ scheme.
Saddleworth School YTAs identified congestion and the distance to school as barriers to students using active travel to get to and from school. They implemented a ‘Park and Stride’ scheme to reduce congestion and ran a competition to encourage students to walk or ride from further distances and get active.
Wright Robinson College YTAs leveraged their school’s proximity to the Fallowfield Loop cycle path to get more students cycling to and from school. They run a ‘Cycle to School Reward Scheme’ and have held a ‘bikers’ breakfast’ as part of this. They also organise Bikeability cycle training at school.
Help transform the school run
Apply now to join the 2026/27 YTA programme
We are now accepting applications to join the YTA programme, starting in September 2026. Applications close on 30 June 2026.
By taking part, your school will join a growing network of schools already involved in the programme, working to make walking, wheeling, and cycling the first choice for the journey to school. YTA empowers students to influence positive change in their local community—helping to create safer, healthier environments around schools.
To learn more about what the programme involves and how your school can benefit, please read our leaflet.
Join a webinar
If you’d like to find out more before applying, join a short webinar to hear an overview of the YTA programme, explore the benefits for schools, and ask questions.
Get in touch
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact us at Active.Travel@tfgm.com