The offer runs from the start of the school holidays on July 19 and runs until September 5Alex Seabrook Local democracy reporter and Alex Seabrook, Local Democracy Reporter
00:01, 10 Jun 2025
Pupils from Perry Court E-ACT Academy and local council leaders marked that news with the new Mayor of the West of England Helen Godwin(Image: PAUL GILLIS / Reach PLC)
Free bus travel for children under 16 in West of England region this summer
Children under the age of 16 can travel for free on buses in the West of England region this summer. Around 150,000 children aged five to 15 years old will be able to hop on a bus in Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset without paying.
The offer runs from the start of the school holidays on July 19 and runs until September 5. The region’s leading politicians said the initiative, paid for by the West of England Combined Authority, would help children get around and visit friends, family, parks, museums and more.
The price of getting around the region can often be prohibitively high for many families, as the cost of living remains much higher than in previous years. The summer holidays can also often be an expensive time, but the metro mayor said there are “loads of free activities” in the area.
Helen Godwin, the new West of England mayor, said: “We really want all families across the West of England to have something to look forward to this summer. We know that times are quite tough at the moment, a lot of families are struggling and going on holiday isn’t an option for everyone.
“So we thought we would try and do something to enable families across the West of England to enjoy what we’ve got to offer. We’ve got loads of free activities all across the summer, so enabling all of our kids to travel for free for the whole of the summer holidays hopefully will feel like a bit of a help to those families across the region.
“Things are a bit tricky for families at the moment. The bus is such an important part of how we get around across the whole region, and it is expensive to travel. I’ve got three children myself, so if myself and my husband and three kids wanted to go and do something, you’re talking about over £15 for us to go out. It’s quite a lot of money.”
The new Labour mayor, who was elected last month, announced the new policy at a play park in Hengrove. She added that people could spend the money they save on the buses in local businesses instead. The news was greeted by council leaders in the region, and teachers and local pupils from the nearby Perry Court E-ACT Academy too.
Raya, head girl, said: “This is brilliant. I don’t live that close to my friends – so I will be able to meet up with them more often. Also, I can go into town and get stuff for secondary school in September.”
Cyrus, head boy, added: “This is really helpful as I have a lot of brothers and sisters, but it costs a lot to use the bus – so my mum will find this really helpful. My grandad can use his bus pass, and I can go with him for free into town. Also, it’s better for the environment for us all to use the bus rather than lots of cars.”
The scheme will be “fantastic”, according to head teacher Kate Marsh. She said many families at Perry Court rely on public transport, with the cost of fares quickly adding up.
She added: “Knowing that their children will travel for free during this time opens up a lot more options to them – visiting parks, family, museums, events and seeing friends across the city will allow our children to experience more of where they live and increase their cultural capital while away from school. This will help with mental wellbeing as well as a benefit for their education.”
Bus travel for children aged from five to 15 is currently capped at £1 per journey. Children under five already travel for free on the majority of services in the West of England. The initiative will be paid for using some of the £13.5 million bus grant funding from the Department for Transport.
Pupils from nearby Perry Court E-ACT Academy and local council leaders marked that news of free bus fare for under 16s this summer(Image: PAUL GILLIS / Reach PLC)
The move follows a successful scheme giving all residents in the West of England a bus pass for free travel in the month of their birthday. Anybody living in the region can apply for a free bus pass, in a bid to get more people to try out public transport, helping cut congestion and pollution.
Green Councillor Tony Dyer, Bristol City Council leader, said: “We fully support this initiative and welcome the effort put in by Helen and her team to work with bus operators and other partners to make this happen. The cost of transport is a major challenge for families and young people looking to explore our city and region and can act as a barrier to seeking out new opportunities.
“We want to continue to work with the Mayoral Combined Authority to find new ways of increasing mobility across the city, especially where we can make active and public transport more accessible. With so many events and activities happening across Bristol this summer, most of which you can access via our Your Holiday Hub website, this initiative will help make accessing these opportunities much easier for households across our city.”
The proposed free travel offer covers almost all the bus services in the West of England and North Somerset, with a few exemptions like airport services. The plans still need to get final approval.
Campaigners have long called for free bus travel for youngsters. Three years ago in 2022, hundreds of petitioners urged the council to bring in free fares for people under the age of 25. Bristol Youth Strike 4 Climate also made similar calls. Former Bristol mayor Marvin Rees also included the pledge in his 2021 election manifesto, but the promise was never followed through.
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