Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced a UK wide scheme to support families this summer - ‘Great British Summer Savings’ – which includes free bus travel for children throughout August.
This scheme is the latest in the government’s efforts to support families and ease pressures on household budgets. It comes following a successful pilot, ‘Kids Go Free’ ran last summer by the Mayor for the West of England, Helen Godwin, which provided around 1.4 million free journeys.
Families travelling this summer will benefit from free bus travel for children as the Chancellor commits more than £100 million to fund the free fares scheme. This funding also includes support for bus services that have experienced increased costs, recognising the vital service they provide particularly for school children, pensioners and those living in rural communities.
This free bus travel for children will run from Saturday 1 to Monday 31 August, allowing every child aged five to 15 in England to travel for free on participating local buses throughout August – with unlimited journeys and no registration required.
The Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, said that the scheme is a practical step to support parents and put money back into people’s pockets. According to the Chancellor, economic indicators show that the UK is beating the forecasts again this week, with the UK being the fastest-growing economy in the G7 at the start of this year, with inflation falling faster than expected.