Families across the West of England including Bristol to save more than £4 million as £1 child bus fares are frozen until 2029

West England Combined Authority (Weca) has announced that the £1 child fare cap is being extended until Spring 2029. Weca is investing some of the Bus Grant secured from the Department of Transport, to continue to freeze child fares at £1 for the next three years – reducing children’s fares by up to 50%. Under national rules, child fares usually cost half as much as adult fares; so under the national £3 fare cap, children’s fares elsewhere can be up to £1.50 per journey.

The multi-operator fare cap will also be extended, as will the free bus travel for care leavers up to the age of 25 and Youth Guarantee free bus pass offer, and the Diamond Pass, which allows people of a pensionable age and Disabled people to travel for free.

The £1 child fare cap extended and Kids Go Free make a return for Easter

According to Weca, the £1 child fare cap – which was introduced in September 2022 for anyone aged between five and 15 years old across the West of England, including Bristol -has already saved families across the region around £1.1 million over the last year. With the regional child fares freeze continuing until Spring 2029, families are set to save a further £3.3 million by then.

These savings are on top of the £1.1 million already saved in the nine weeks of the summer and Christmas holidays, thanks to Kids Go Free, since June 2025, which is also set to be reintroduced for the Easter holidays too

“Local families are expected to save more than £4 million as a result by 2029”

Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, said: “People around the West are already benefitting from our £1 child fare cap, so parents and carers will be glad to hear that we have frozen child fares for the next three years. Local families are expected to save more than £4 million as a result by 2029, helping ease the cost of living.

“Our child fare cap is making a difference that people can see and feel, as part of region-wide efforts to help lift more children out of poverty. Likewise, the extension of free bus travel for care leavers and Diamond Pass holders will be a real help for a range of bus passengers in the West of England.”

Have your say on Weca’s Bus Plan

Over the coming weeks, the regional authority is set to invite people to have their say on its developing Bus Plan – to enable councils, bus operators, and communities to work together to build a bus network. The Transport Vision published last month by the Mayor and council leaders set out an ambition for reliable, affordable services with one ticket and one timetable, alongside improvements to the growing regional rail network, mass transit plans, safer active travel, and improved streets.

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