Free Bus Travel For Children And Half-Price Fares For Teenagers Launched Across The East Riding This August

Children aged between five and fifteen will travel for free on buses across the East Riding this August, while older teenagers can claim half-price journeys to help families with summer holiday costs.

Children and teenagers will benefit from significantly cheaper bus journeys this August to help ease the financial pressure of the summer holidays.

Free bus travel is being rolled out for all children aged between five and fifteen across the East Riding and Hull, following an agreement between the region’s two main bus operators and the Government’s ‘Great British Summer Savings Scheme’.

Older teenagers aged between sixteen and nineteen will also see their travel costs slashed, with a fifty per cent discount funded by the Mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire.

The reduced fares apply to all services operated by East Yorkshire Buses and Stagecoach East Midlands from Saturday the 1st of August until Monday the 31st of August 2026.

Passengers will not need to register or present a travel card to take advantage of the scheme.

Instead, young people simply need to ask the driver for a ‘Mayor’s Fares’ ticket when boarding the bus.

The maximum an under-twenty will pay for a journey is one pound and fifty pence for a single ticket, or three pounds for a return.

Adults accompanying children, including parents and carers, will pay no more than three pounds for a single journey under the current national fare cap.

The Mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire, Luke Campbell MBE, said:

"I am excited that our region’s bus operators have signed up to offer free bus travel for children throughout August. This is great news for families across the region, but I want to go one step further. Throughout the whole of August, through a Mayor’s Fare ticket, anyone aged over 15 but under 20, can travel half price. This will help keep costs down and allow our residents to travel across the region and access all the great places, activities and events we have to offer. Money can be a challenge over the summer holidays, so I am thrilled to announce a heavily discounted ticket for the bus network."

Transport officials hope the initiative will encourage more families to leave their cars at home and use public transport as a sustainable way to attend summer activities.

The cabinet member for culture, leisure, tourism and planning at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Councillor Nick Coultish, said:

"This is a fantastic money-saver for local families during the summer holidays, which is a costly time of year. This is an ideal opportunity for them to ditch the car and hop on a bus to explore more of our wonderful region. There is so much to see and do in the East Riding right now, like our Kids Go Wild programme at local nature reserves, the Summer of Fun activities at Sewerby Hall and Gardens, and the superb beaches on our coastline and all the events taking place there, such as Race The Waves."

The managing director of East Yorkshire Buses, Matt Kitchin, said:

"We're delighted to take part in this money-saving initiative for kids to travel free, giving the opportunity to visit the many brilliant destinations we serve by bus across Hull and East Yorkshire. It's a great opportunity to get out and explore our region during the summer holidays and mum and dad can join in with journeys for a maximum of £3 a trip for adults."

The managing director of Stagecoach East Midlands, Matt Cranwell, said:

"Our team play an essential role in ensuring that local people can get where they need to go, so we are looking forward to welcoming even more customers on board this August. We’re making it even easier for families to leave the car at home and enjoy a great value day out. This shows how public transport can play an important role in connecting communities with all the fun and popular attractions that our region has to offer, and we hope lots of people will take advantage of this opportunity over the coming weeks."