Fantastic savings for families this summer holidays thanks to Kids travel for free offer

The Mayor has brought together bus operators under the region-wide scheme which covers buses in Tyne & Wear, Northumberland and County Durham.

The initiative means up to three children aged 11 and under can travel for free with every fare paying adult or concessionary pass holder – making getting around during the summer holidays far cheaper for families across the region.

Metro and Ferry travel is already free for children to travel with a paying adult all year round.

North East Mayor Kim McGuinness, said: “Kids Go Free will see thousands of children across the North East travelling for free this summer. From Berwick to Bishop Auckland and beyond, families can enjoy cheaper travel by bus and when using the Metro and Ferry too.”

Last month, the Mayor announced that the offer will be extended to run until at least September 2026 – meaning this summer, next summer and all school holidays in between will see thousands of young travellers and families saving money on travel costs.

The mayor added: “Since launching last year, Kids Go Free has already helped so many people travel affordably and enjoy their time together during the school holidays.

“We’re working to make travelling using public transport cheaper and easier and I'm delighted Kids Go Free has now been extended to run during school holidays until at least September 2026.

“Affordable travel is great news for everyone, but I know that family budgets are increasingly stretched, so I'm pulling out all the stops to do everything we can to reduce the burden of high transport costs for local people.

“Alongside Kids Go Free, we’ve also rolled out a bus fare cap, which means no single bus journey can be more than a maximum of £2.50 - that’s at least 50p cheaper per journey than the national cap.”

Cathy Massarella, Managing Director of Nexus, added: “It’s great to see that Kids Go Free is returning for the schools’ summer holidays. The scheme has been a real success story on both Metro and the Shields Ferry, helping families to save money on the cost of public transport.”

Kids Go Free covers the North East Combined Authority areas of County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside, and Sunderland during school holidays.

The bus operators who’ve signed up to the scheme include Stagecoach, Go Northeast and Arriva.

In a joint statement issued by the bus operators they said: “We are proud to support the Kids Go Free scheme. The summer holidays can be a tough time for families in terms of affordability, so it's a crucial time for the bus operators to support the mayor’s Kids Go Free campaign.

“We're delighted to enable families to have more cost-effective days out by bus this summer, enjoying the attractions and places of interest across the region.”

You can find out more about the offer on the North East Combined Authority website.