{"ok":true,"trend":{"id":30971,"platform":"hn","region":"global","key":"schoolchildren without smartphones penalised with higher bus fares","title":"Schoolchildren without smartphones penalised with higher bus fares","url":"https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/sep/26/schoolchildren-smartphones-higher-bus-fares-england","first_seen":"2026-09-26T22:10:35.357669Z","last_seen":"2026-09-27T03:38:35.032752Z","last_rank":7,"peak_rank":6,"last_volume":6,"peak_volume":6,"seen_count":5,"score":66.72,"category_hint":"parenting","section":"life","category":"parenting","summary":"Schoolchildren in England who do not own a smartphone are being charged higher bus fares than their peers, the Guardian reports. Discounted child fares on some services are tied to apps or digital ticketing that require a smartphone, meaning pupils with basic phones or none at all pay more for the same journey. Commentators are calling the arrangement unfair and exclusionary, arguing that transport pricing should not effectively force families to buy their children smartphones.","why":"The story has sparked debate about digital-only ticketing systems excluding children without smartphones from discounted fares.","tone":"negative","entities":["England","The Guardian"],"summarized_at":"2026-09-26T22:11:40.164841Z","meta":{"via":"scan","lang":"en","link":"https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/sep/26/schoolchildren-smartphones-higher-bus-fares-england","term":"school children","generic":0.05,"comments":0},"nw":0.41,"promo":0.02,"kind":"news_event","importance":1.08,"hidden":false,"hide_reason":null,"judged_at":"2026-09-26T22:10:35.644857Z","title_en":"Schoolchildren without smartphones face higher bus fares in England","section_name":"Life","category_name":"Parenting","timeline":[{"captured_at":"2026-09-26T22:10:35.357669Z","rank":6,"volume":6},{"captured_at":"2026-09-26T23:32:35.025577Z","rank":7,"volume":6},{"captured_at":"2026-09-27T00:54:35.300823Z","rank":6,"volume":6},{"captured_at":"2026-09-27T02:16:35.007158Z","rank":6,"volume":6},{"captured_at":"2026-09-27T03:38:35.032752Z","rank":7,"volume":6}],"posts":[{"platform":"hn","url":"https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49855553","author":"gradschool","title":"Schoolchildren without smartphones penalised with higher bus fares","snippet":null,"posted_at":"2026-09-26T11:34:16Z","likes":6}],"elsewhere":[],"window":"7d"}}