Tens of thousands of children in the North East will travel for free this summer as North East Mayor Kim McGuinness’ Kids Go Free promise returns on public transport for the school holidays.
The Mayor has brought together bus operators under the region-wide scheme and met with local primary school children at the Auckland Project in Bishop Auckland to officially launch this summer’s campaign.
The Mayor’s Kids Go Free initiative will run across bus services in Tyne and Wear, County Durham and Northumberland from 19 July until 31 August 2025. This means up to three children aged 11 and under to 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 free for children to travel with a paying adult all year round - so public transport is a great choice for families to explore this summer.
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.”
A joint statement on behalf of local bus operators, said: “Stagecoach, Go Northeast and Arriva 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.”
Cathy Massarella, Managing Director of Nexus, said: “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.
To view full terms and conditions and upcoming dates for the offer, visit www.northeast-ca.gov.uk/kidsgofree