The initiative will allow children aged 5 to 15 to travel free on participating local bus services between 1st and 31st August, with no registration required.
The announcement was made by Chancellor Rachel Reeves as part of a wider summer cost-of-living support package. The Government says more than £100 million will fund the scheme.
South Swindon MP Heidi Alexander welcomed the move in a Facebook post. She said:
“this means parents can plan days out, visit family and make the most of the holidays without all of the added financial pressure that comes with travel costs.”
Alexander said she had worked with the Chancellor to help make the policy possible. She pointed to similar schemes in London, Bristol and the North East as examples of programmes that can make a “real difference”, particularly for young people in deprived communities.
The Government claims a family with two children making one weekly return bus journey during the holidays could save around £27 over the month.
In Swindon, the scheme comes shortly after completion of the town’s Bus Boulevard transformation along Fleming Way. The project was designed to improve reliability and journey times for passengers travelling through the town centre.
Council figures released earlier this year showed the revamped corridor had contributed to an increase in bus journeys, with operators reporting rising passenger numbers since the route reopened.
Ministers say the free travel scheme is intended to ease financial pressure on households while encouraging more young people to use public transport.
The August offer forms part of a broader “Great British Summer Savings” package. This includes a temporary VAT cut on selected family attractions, children’s cinema and theatre tickets, and kids’ meals during the summer period.
Heidi Alexander added: “We’re making sure public transport works for people, not against them.”
The Government says further details on participating operators will be confirmed in due course.
