Prime minister Gordon Brown is said to be giving serious consideration to the introduction of free bus travel for under 18s in Greater Manchester.

It came after Roger Jones, chair of the region's PTA, raised the issue with senior Labour politicians last week at the party's conference in Bournemouth. "The government is extending its free bus travel scheme for over 60s and disabled people next year to cover the whole of England. I want children and young people to be able to benefit from a similar initiative," he said.

Jones called for a standard 50p bus fare to be introduced across the UK. The fare would apply to children aged 16 and under, and under 21s in full time education.

"Ultimately, I would like to see a free bus travel scheme introduced for children so that future generations get into the habit of using public transport," he added. "I hope the government will look at this issue during the next 12 months."

Under 18s in London have enjoyed free bus travel since September 2006, but this has been blamed for a rise in anti-social behaviour on buses. Manchester's bus operators fear that unruly teenagers travelling for free could discourage fare paying passengers.

"Encouraging people onto the buses at a young age is vital to ensuring public transport is adopted more readily by adults in the future, helping tackle the congestion and environmental challenges we all face," said Mark Threapleton, chairman of the Greater Manchester Bus Operators' Association. "However, I do believe that if this does happen, for it to be a success we must focus on a coherent strategy to tackle the antisocial behavioural issues that are associated with some young people."