Bristol Expands Free Bus Travel for Under-16s Next Week

Children under 16 will ride buses free across the West of England from 18 July to 6 September 2026 with no pass required.

The measure arrives as Bristol City Council works to cut car journeys by 40 percent. Transport produces one-third of the city's direct emissions and congestion in the city centre costs an estimated £350 million a year.

Current bus services and motorway pressure

Bristol's transport network remains largely bus-based. First West of England operates the majority of local services alongside MetroBus, which runs four all-day routes. The M32 carries the heaviest traffic north from the city centre, feeding into the M4 and M5 corridors that link London to Wales and Birmingham to Exeter.

High private car use creates repeated delays around the city centre, harbour and university areas. These conditions have prompted the council to introduce new bus lanes and gates on existing MetroBus corridors to shorten journey times.

Infrastructure changes now in preparation

Construction of 217 miles of newly segregated cycle paths and additional bus lanes is scheduled to begin in late 2025. The work is intended to support an expected population increase of 5,000 residents and to create a new southwest-to-northeast bus corridor.

Proposals also include a partial car ban on The Horsefair and Union Street in the city centre. These steps form part of the Bristol Transport Strategy published by the city council.

Residents planning journeys during the school summer holidays can use services operated by First West of England and MetroBus without additional tickets for children under 16. Details on route changes and any temporary roadworks are available on the council's transport pages.