CHILDREN aged five to 15 have free bus travel across the West of England this month.
The summer holidays initiative, which runs until September 5, is funded through a grant from the Department for Transport.
About 150,000 children in Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Bath & North East Somerset and North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire aged from 5-15 years old stand to benefit. No bus pass or registration is required.
Bath Bus Company, First West of England, Stagecoach, and The Big Lemon are participating in the scheme.
Helen Godwin, the new Mayor of the West of England, said: “Our £1 child fare is already one of the cheapest tickets in the whole country but, ideally, children and young people should be able to travel by bus for free. That’s something I’ve heard loud and clear. It’s right that we help people save money and encourage greener travel.
This is just the start for a new chapter for the West.Getting more people on board now helps lay the foundations for a better transport system overall. We secured £752 million for that next stage in the recent Spending Review, including for better buses. That will get the West out of the slow lane on transport as we start to catch up with other city-regions.”
The Travelwest website lists some holiday events and attractions and provides travel information. https://travelwest.info/bus/kids-go-free-in-the-summer-holidays/