Free bus travel throughout your birthday month

Enjoy free travel on participating bus services on your birthday month.

Anyone from the age of 5 living in the West of England is now eligible to apply for free bus travel on participating services for the month their birthday falls in.

All you have to do is apply at least 7 days before the first day of your birthday month. But you can still apply after that – right up to the 15th, and still get a pass for the rest of that month.

The Birthday Bus Pass will then be delivered to you via post, to use during your birthday month. Don’t delay, apply now!

How to apply for your Birthday Bus Pass

To apply for your pass, simply apply online. Applying is simple. All you’ll need:

Your address: A valid address in the West of England area (Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire)
Your age: If you’re 18 or under, you’ll need to verify your age, to make sure that the bus operators are reimbursed correctly. Check the application page for more details.
Your identity: a recent digital photo that meets the standard photo-pass requirements.

Your Birthday Bus Pass will then be sent to you in the post which you simply need to scan on the machine reader when boarding the bus. For WESTlink bookings, simply quote the code on the back of the pass when booking your ride.

Apply now

Participating services

The Birthday Bus Pass will be accepted on most buses in the West of England.

Exceptions include:

School services
Community transport
Special event services
Tour buses
Coach services
Airport services (A1 and A3)
A4 Air Decker for journeys starting and ending at Bristol Airport, you can use it on other parts of the route
Newport bus
Stagecoach Falcon
Bath Park & Ride services 21, 31, and 41 (it is accepted on service 4 from Odd Down Park & Ride)

Other exclusions may apply.

Frequently asked questions

For more frequently asked questions, please visit the application page.

Don’t delay! Apply now and we’ll send you your pass in the post. Apply now here.

To enjoy free travel for the whole of your birthday month, apply at least 7 days before the first day of your birthday month.

But you can still apply after that – right up to the 15th, and still get a pass for the rest of that month.
Scan your Birthday Bus Pass on the ticket machine reader. If you have any problems, please speak to the driver who will be happy to assist.

For WESTlink journeys, please quote the code on the back of your Birthday Bus Pass when booking your ride.
Passes will be replaced at no cost. Passes will only be replaced within the first 15 days of the month they are valid for, to allow for processing and delivery time.
The Birthday Bus Pass, giving residents free travel across the region, is the only one of its kind in the country and will run for a 12-month period from the 1st August 2023.

So don’t delay! Make sure you and everyone you know gets a Birthday Bus Pass!