Under 16s ride free on every Brighton and Hove bus until 31 August, night buses and the Breeze Downs services included. What it saves, and what is not covered.

Children under 16 can ride free on every Brighton and Hove bus route until Monday 31 August, and 22 days of the offer are still to run. Brighton & Hove Buses states the terms plainly on its own page: “free travel for children under 16 (accompanied or unaccompanied) across our network”, from 1 to 31 August inclusive (Brighton & Hove Buses, Great British Summer Savings).

The money behind it is national. The Department for Transport is funding free travel on most local buses in England for the whole of August under what it calls Great British Summer Savings, announced on 1 August (GOV.UK). Brighton & Hove City Council says the offer applies on all of the city’s bus operators, naming Brighton & Hove Buses, Compass Travel and Stagecoach (Brighton & Hove City Council, 31 July). Compass Travel posted its own “Kids go free this August” notice on 28 July (Compass Travel).

The ages are not quite the same everywhere

This is the detail worth getting right before you get on a bus. The government scheme covers children aged 5 to 15 inclusive. Under-5s already travel free all year round, which is why operators are simply advertising it as free travel for under 16s (Stagecoach, Kids Go Free). On Brighton & Hove Buses the wording is “under 16 (accompanied or unaccompanied)”, so a child can travel on their own; there is no requirement for a paying adult to be with them.

Sixteen and 17 year olds are not part of the August scheme, but the city’s existing offer has not gone away. Brighton & Hove Buses continues to carry young people aged 16 to 18 free “with a fare-paying adult or concessionary pass holder until the August following their 18th birthday”.

Which buses are covered

The route list published with the offer runs to more than 80 services and covers far more than the daytime city network. It includes:

  • The night buses, N1, N5, N7, N12, N14, N25, N29 and N48.
  • The Coaster, routes 12, 12X and N12, which runs east along the coast through Rottingdean, Saltdean, Newhaven and Seaford to Eastbourne (route 12 timetable).
  • The Breeze up to the Downs buses: the 77 to Devil’s Dyke, the 78 to Stanmer Park and the 79 to Ditchling Beacon. The council says these run every Saturday, Sunday and bank holiday throughout the year, except 25 December (Breeze up the Downs and beyond).
  • The City Sightseeing open-top tour buses, which appear on the published list alongside the scheduled services.

The everyday city routes are all on the list as well, including the 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 14, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 37, 46, 47, 48, 49, 52, 55, 59, 60 and the 70s, along with the longer 270, 271, 272 and 273.

Councillor Trevor Muten, the council’s cabinet member for transport and city infrastructure, put the point simply when the scheme launched: “Removing travel costs will help more young people enjoy their summer holidays and make a positive difference for families.”

What it actually replaces

Brighton & Hove Buses’ standard child fares are the useful yardstick here. A child single in the citySAVER area is £1.60, a 24-hour child citySAVER is £3.10 and a 7-day child citySAVER is £13.70 (fares and tickets). On those published prices, a parent taking two children out for the day on day tickets would normally pay £6.20 before anyone has bought an ice cream, and a fortnight of daily trips for two children on weekly tickets would be £54.80.

Bar chart of Brighton and Hove Buses child fares now free in August 2026: child single £1.60, 24-hour child citySAVER £3.10, 7-day child citySAVER £13.70

How to get the ticket, and what is excluded

A ticket still has to be issued. Stagecoach’s instruction is the clearest: “When you board, simply ask the driver for a free child ticket. Let the driver know where you’re travelling to, and they’ll issue the ticket for you.”

Stagecoach also sets out the exclusions that apply to its own services: “certain longer-distance coach services, routes where older and disabled persons’ concessionary travel is not available, and dedicated school bus services” are not in the scheme. Brighton & Hove Buses publishes no exclusions from its network list. If your journey crosses onto another operator, check that operator’s own page rather than assuming, because the terms are set operator by operator and not by the council.

What it means for you

If you have children under 16 at home, the practical value of the next three weeks is that distance stops costing anything. The trips that are normally rationed by fare, the 77 up to Devil’s Dyke, the 78 into Stanmer Park, the Coaster out to Saltdean Lido or Seaford, are now free for them, and the Breeze buses run at weekends and on the bank holiday Monday, 31 August, the last day of the offer.

Two things to plan around. First, the child still needs a ticket, so board with a destination in mind rather than waving the offer at the driver. Second, the free fare does not solve the school-run problem in September; dedicated school services are outside the scheme even now.

If you are driving instead, our guide to parking in Brighton sets out what the council car parks actually charge, and Brighton roadworks and travel updates covers what is closed this month. For places to point the free bus at, see things to do in Brighton.

Sources

Fares and terms checked against the operators’ own pages on 10 August 2026. Confirm before you travel.