ALT Bus Users UK with representatives from Stagecoach North East in the centre of Newcastle with the Stagecoach trike and an electric bus

ALT Lydia Horbury CEO of Bus Users UK quote and image: “Free bus travel for 5 to 15-year-olds throughout August is a hugely welcome step that will help families, encourage greater use of public transport and give young people more independence and opportunity over the summer holidays. "We hope this will not only support communities but inspire lasting confidence in public transport and encourage the next generation to see buses as an easy and sustainable way to travel."

ALT Photo and quote from Lydia Horbury, Chief Executive of Bus Users UK “Our 2026 Manifesto calls on Government to treat buses as essential national infrastructure, central to tackling inequality, driving economic growth and delivering on our climate ambitions. When bus services are accessible, reliable and properly integrated, they unlock opportunity, strengthen communities and connect people to the things that matter most. This is about putting passengers at the heart of policy and recognising the full value buses and sustainable travel brings to society.”