HELEN GODWIN

MAYOR OF THE WEST OF ENGLAND

- Freia Turland

HAPPY New Year! I hope that everyone has had a restful festive period, as we look forward to 2026.

Over the Christmas school holidays, Kids Go Free is back on the West's buses. This means under-16s can travel for free once again throughout Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire. No registration or bus pass is required, so just hop on board up to and including January 4.

This follows on from the success of our scheme over the summer, in partnership with local councils and bus operators.

More than 910,000 free journeys were taken by kids across our region, putting almost £1 million back into the pockets of families and opening up our region for more young people.

32% more children travelled by bus in the summer of 2025 than in 2024. We saw more footfall at local visitor attractions and retail centres during the summer.

We got new people onto our brand-new green buses, with more on their way, inspiring the passengers of the future.