The Birthday Buses initiative, which offers residents across the West of England the opportunity to enjoy a month of free bus travel, is set to return.
Dan Norris relaunching the Birthday Bus initiative | Photo © WECA
Bus passengers will be able to enjoy unlimited free bus travel throughout the month of their birthdays.
As an added bonus for residents, there will also be retail discounts at shops, restaurants, and attractions across the region for Birthday Bus cardholders – as well as two months of free travel for users who apply before their 21st birthday, to encourage the next generation of bus passengers.
West of England Metro Mayor Dan Norris said: “The first year of Birthday Buses was an enormous success. 72,000 passengers took, on average, around 19 free journeys each – saving almost £40 in fares.
“People who tried out our region’s buses, sometimes for the very first time, during their Birthday Bus month made new habits, and now they’re on the buses much more than before.
“More bus journeys and fewer miles in cars mean less congestion for everyone.
“We are excited to see the impact of the second year of Birthday Buses, particularly with new retail discounts for passengers. Delivering a genuine change in how people get around means that Birthday Bus pass users under the age of 21 will get a whole second month of free travel.”
Almost 1.2 million free journeys were taken under the first year of the Birthday Bus programme, with more than 72,000 free passes issued across the wider West of England.
The more people that use the bus, and more often, the stronger the future for bus routes and the wider network.
The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) said that eight out of ten people who got Birthday Bus passes are driving less now.
90% of Birthday Bus users say that the free pass has played a key role in getting them to take the bus more.
The transport initiative, according to KPMG, had a benefit-to-cost ratio of around 2.2 to 1, meaning almost £5 million of benefits for the region between August 2023 and July 2024.
The independent auditors also found that Birthday Buses resulted in an estimated reduction of more than 1,100 tonnes of carbon emissions – equivalent to a petrol car driving more than 5 million miles.
Mayor Dan Norris announced the £4 million expansion of Birthday Buses and unveiled a brand new green bus featuring “BirthdayBus.co.uk” advertising at an event in central Bristol.
Residents can apply for their new Birthday Bus pass at BirthdayBus.co.uk, with the new year of Birthday Buses launching from 1st December 2024.
People who had a Birthday Bus pass last year will be sent an e-mail to renew with just one-click. Where people have moved address or other details have changed since applying for their first Birthday Bus pass, they will need to update their details.
You can now get free bus travel for the whole of your birthday month, plus the following one, if you apply before your 21st birthday.
Funding for the project, and wider investment in buses in the region, was secured from the Department for Transport.
Birthday Buses is a joint initiative of the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority and North Somerset Council.
