£1 Bus Fares for Young People Extended, Wales 2026

Key Points

• The scheme for £1 bus fares for young people in Wales is set to continue until March 2027.
• This applies to eligible passengers between the ages of five and 21 years old.
• The fare is £1 per journey, but an unlimited day pass costs £3.
• Passengers between the ages of 16 and 21 years old will require a valid mytravelpass.
• Eligible passengers between the ages of five and 15 years old are included in this scheme.
• Over nine million journeys have been taken thanks to this initiative.
• Over 38,000 mytravelpasses have been provided to passengers between the ages of 16 and 21 years old.
• This scheme is applicable in Wales and some cross-border routes.
• The extension comes at the same time that the new academic year has begun.
• Mark Hooper, Welsh Deputy Minister for Transport, explained that the scheme is enabling young people to travel for educational, work and leisure purposes.

Wales (Wales Times) September 11, 2026 — £1 bus fares for young people across Wales have been extended until March 2027, allowing eligible passengers aged five to 21 to continue travelling for £1 per single journey or £3 for unlimited day travel on participating bus services.

The Welsh Government announced the extension as the new school and college term begins. The scheme was originally introduced in September 2025 for passengers aged 16 to 21 before being extended to children aged five to 15 in November that year.

According to the Welsh Government’s announcement, more than nine million journeys have been made under the scheme since its launch. More than 38,000 mytravelpass cards have also been issued to people aged 16 to 21.

The initiative is available on bus services throughout Wales and on some cross-border routes. It is intended to reduce the cost of travel for young people travelling to school, college, work, social activities and other destinations.

Who is eligible for the £1 bus fares?

The discounted fares are available to young people aged five to 21, although identification requirements differ by age group.

Passengers aged 16 to 21 must hold a valid mytravelpass to obtain the reduced fares. The pass must be shown to the driver when boarding the bus or purchasing a ticket.

Children aged five to 15 are also eligible for the £1 single fare and £3 day ticket. Earlier information about the scheme stated that passengers in this younger age group would not need a mytravelpass to access the discounted fares.

The scheme is available seven days a week, including weekends and public holidays, according to coverage by WalesOnline.

The Welsh Government has said that the extension applies to all eligible age groups covered by the scheme. It means young people can continue to use reduced fares beyond the original timetable, which was due to end for some passengers in 2026.

What are the ticket prices and travel rules?

The scheme offers two main fare options:

• A £1 single journey.
• A £3 day ticket providing unlimited travel on participating bus services.

The tickets can be used for journeys that start or end in Wales. On certain cross-border services, the discounted fare applies up to or from the first bus stop in England. On some routes, it remains valid to the end of the service, depending on the operator and route arrangements.

The scheme applies only to participating bus services. The Welsh Government’s original announcement described participation by bus operators as voluntary.

Passengers aged 16 to 21 are required to present their mytravelpass to the driver. The pass acts as proof of eligibility and confirms that the passenger qualifies for the young person’s fare.

What has the Welsh Government said?

Mark Hooper, the Welsh Government’s Deputy Minister for Transport, said the initiative was making a difference to young people’s daily lives.

“This scheme is making a real difference to the day-to-day lives of young people across Wales, allowing them to make affordable journeys for work, education and leisure,”

Hooper said in the Welsh Government announcement.

“Reaching over 9 million journeys demonstrates the scale of its impact. Extending the scheme to March 2027 will allow more young people to benefit from affordable travel.”

The statement presents the number of journeys as evidence of demand for the scheme. The extension also comes at a period when many pupils, students and apprentices are returning to schools, colleges and training programmes.

The Welsh Government said the continuation would give young people more time to benefit from lower fares while travelling during the academic year.

How has the scheme affected young passengers?

Justin Williams, an 18-year-old college student from Caernarfon, told the Welsh Government that the fare reduction had changed how often he travelled by bus.

“I used to only be able to go on the buses once or twice a week because of the cost, but the mytravelpass has made bus travel more accessible and easier,” Williams said.

Williams said he used buses to travel to college, his part-time job and to meet friends. He also said he had travelled as far as Aberystwyth and uk/local/wrexham/">Wrexham using his pass.

“The bus helps me get to see my friends, get to college and get to work,” he said.

He added that the reduced price allowed him to travel more regularly without being as concerned about the cost. His comments illustrate how the scheme can affect travel for several purposes rather than only school or college journeys.

The Welsh Government has promoted the programme as a measure supporting access to education, employment and leisure. The nine-million-journey figure indicates that the discounted fares have been used extensively since the scheme began, although the announcement does not provide a detailed breakdown by age, route or operator.

What was the original plan for the bus fare pilot?

The scheme began in September 2025 for people aged 16 to 21. The Welsh Government initially announced a £1 single fare and a £3 day ticket for this age group, with the intention of making bus travel more affordable across Wales.

The scheme was subsequently extended to children aged five to 15 from November 2025. The younger group was added after concerns that the initial arrangement did not include children in that age range.

The Welsh Government said the original funding for the 16-to-21 scheme was £15 million over two financial years. A further £7 million was announced for the extension to five-to-15-year-olds, bringing the stated funding total to £22 million.

The expansion to younger children required arrangements involving the public bus network and school bus services. Earlier reporting by the BBC said the delayed introduction for five-to-15-year-olds reflected the complexity of integrating those services.

The latest announcement now extends the initiative to March 2027, covering all eligible age groups.

Where can passengers use the discounted fares?

The £1 and £3 tickets are available on participating bus services across Wales. They can also be used on selected cross-border routes where the journey starts or ends in Wales.

On cross-border services, the fare normally applies as far as the first stop in England or from that stop into Wales. Some services allow the ticket to remain valid to the end of the route. Passengers may need to check the individual operator’s conditions because cross-border validity can depend on the service.

The scheme does not create new bus routes. It reduces the fare on eligible journeys operated by participating services.

For young passengers, this distinction is important because the discount can lower the cost of an existing journey but cannot replace a route that is not available in a particular community.

Why has the extension been announced now?

The extension has been announced at the beginning of the new school and college term. This timing means the measure will be available when many young people resume regular journeys for lessons, training, employment and other activities.

The Welsh Government’s announcement links the continuation to the scheme’s reported use and the need to maintain affordable transport for young people. WalesOnline also reported that the government would continue subsidising reduced fares until March 2027.

The extension provides additional certainty for families and young passengers who might otherwise have faced a change in fares after the earlier pilot period ended.

It also gives the government and participating operators more time to assess use of the scheme. However, the announcement does not state whether the programme will become permanent after March 2027 or whether its funding and rules will be changed again.

Background: How did the Welsh youth bus scheme develop?

The Welsh Government introduced the £1 bus fare pilot for 16-to-21-year-olds in September 2025. The initiative formed part of a wider effort to reduce the cost of public transport for young people and was supported by funding agreed over the 2025-26 and 2026-27 financial years.

The scheme was later expanded to children aged five to 15 in November 2025. Under the expanded arrangement, children in that age group could use the £1 single fare and £3 day ticket without needing a mytravelpass, while passengers aged 16 to 21 continued to require the pass.

The programme was originally expected to run for a limited period, with some arrangements due to end in 2026. The latest decision extends the full scheme until March 2027.

The Welsh Government says more than nine million journeys have taken place since the initiative began. The government also reports that more than 38,000 mytravelpass cards have been issued to 16-to-21-year-olds.

The policy has been reported by WalesOnline and the County Times as a continuation of reduced fares for all eligible five-to-21-year-olds. The official government announcement is the primary source for the latest extension, fare levels, eligibility rules and reported usage figures.

Prediction: What could the extension mean for young people?

The extension is likely to help eligible young people keep travel costs lower through March 2027, particularly those who rely on buses to reach schools, colleges, workplaces and social activities.

Families may benefit from more predictable transport costs during the academic year. For passengers who make several journeys in one day, the £3 unlimited day ticket could be more economical than buying multiple single fares, provided the journeys are made on participating services.

The impact will still depend on whether suitable bus routes operate in each area and whether the relevant operators participate in the scheme. Young people travelling across the Wales-England border may also need to check how far the discounted ticket is valid on their particular service.

The reported total of more than nine million journeys suggests that the scheme has already been widely used. If demand continues, the extension may increase the number of discounted journeys before March 2027. Whether the policy continues beyond that date will depend on future Welsh Government decisions, funding and an assessment of its results.