West country children granted free bus travel over summer
Anyone under the age of 16 will be able to travel the region without a ticket
Children under the age of 16 will be able to use the West of England bus network for free over the summer.
Around 150,000 youngsters in Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire will be able to hop on without a bus pass or ticket.
“Together, we are building the kind of bus service that local people deserve," said Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England.
"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.
“It’s right that we help people save money and encourage greener travel, and this scheme would do just that."
The scheme is set to start on the 19th July, the beginning of the 6-week school break.
"This is brilliant!" said Raya, head girl and Perry Court E-ACT Academy.
"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 at Perry Court E-ACT Academy, said: "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 proposed package is set to be funded using some of the £13.5 million of Bus Grant funding secured from the Department for Transport by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority.