From the Metro Mayor: From Saturday 20 December, Kids Go Free returns on the region’s buses.
This week, Bristol-based celebrity chef and presenter Briony May Williams (2018 The Great British Bake Off semi-finalist and 2019 The Great Christmas Bake Off winner, Food Unwrapped and Escape to the Country presenter) joined the Mayor for a Love Actually inspired video on social media to promote the scheme.
Around 150,000 kids in Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire aged from 5-15 years old can benefit from free bus travel again this winter – just by hopping on board, with no bus pass or registration required. The return of the popular initiative, which runs from 20 December to 4 January, was announced earlier this month by regional political and tourism leaders at Bath’s world-famous Christmas Markets, which celebrate their 25th anniversary this year with more than 250 stalls.
Over the seven weeks of the summer holidays, more than 910,000 free journeys saw almost £1 million was put back into the pockets of parents and carers through Kids Go Free. The top word used by people to describe the scheme was “money-saving”. Children’s journeys increased by 32% compared to 2024, with parents and carers across the region sharing how the scheme helped them do things they otherwise would not have been able to afford. For families usually unable to travel at all, this opened the door to the brilliant things that our region offers – in some cases for the first time ever.
Local visitor attractions and retail centres saw an uplift in footfall during that time. Radstock (+16.1%), Bath (+15.8%) Midsomer Norton (+14.4%), Yate and Chipping Sodbury (+12.2%) saw the largest increases in spending, and all also performed above the UK-average for August. Bristol BID data shows that non-essential spend (entertainment, hospitality etc) increased by 3.5% (almost £100,000) year-on-year, above the national average; Visit West-surveyed attractions in the city enjoyed their busiest post-pandemic July and almost got back to their 2021 peak level for August.
The return of Kids Go Free follows the publication of the region’s first child poverty action plan on Thursday (18 December). The Brigstow Institute at the University of Bristol and Room 13 Hareclive, who have long campaigned for free bus travel for children, are currently working with schools and youth groups, including in Hartcliffe and Barton Hill, to further understand the impact of Kids Go Free in more deprived communities. Short surveys are running over the festive period, for parents/carers, secondary-school-age, and primary-school-age children to share their experiences.
Kids Go Free is being funded using some of the £13.5 million Bus Grant funding secured from the Department for Transport by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority.
Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, said:
“Kids Go Free is back! After 910,000 free journeys for under-16s this summer, putting almost £1 million back in people’s pockets, the return of our regional initiative will spread some Christmas cheer and help families at what’s often an expensive time of year.
“Working with local councils and bus operators, using devolved funding from government, we hope to see more children using the West’s buses once again – opening up more of our wonderful region for more of our young people.”
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said:
“I’m delighted to see the return of Kids Go Free across the West of England this Christmas, building on the huge success of the summer scheme which delivered hundreds of thousands of free journeys and saved families almost £1 million – all thanks to Government funding.
“By making bus travel free for young people, we’re creating better-connected communities and supporting families with the cost of living. We’re not only easing the burden on households during an expensive time of year, but we’re also encouraging the next generation to use the bus.”
Councillor Kevin Guy, Deputy Mayor and Leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council, said:
“Kids Go Free has been a huge success here in Bath & North East Somerset and the wider region, helping families save money and making it easier for children and young people to get out and enjoy everything our area has to offer. Over the summer, we saw thousands of extra journeys on local buses, reducing car use and cutting emissions while supporting our high streets and attractions. This initiative demonstrates how sustainable travel can deliver real benefits for residents, businesses and the environment.”
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