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Free Bus Travel

Wednesday 1 January 2025

Just hop on board

West Midlands Bus

On Wednesday 1 January, all of the region’s buses will be free to use for the day and will be operating to a Sunday timetable. Passengers can simply hop onboard and travel anywhere across the West Midlands bus network.  

The offer is valid for travel on any bus in the nbus travel zone and beyond with some operators. See below for more information.

What is happening? 

Free bus travel will be available on all buses in the West Midlands on New Year’s Day (NYD).

This initiative is part of the West Midlands Passenger Incentive Programme under the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP). 

Why is this happening? 

To say thank you to those who travel on the bus and who need to travel on NYD.

How does it work? 

Passengers can board any bus without a ticket. The driver will record their journey, and no action is required from the customer.  

Customers should not tap their contactless bankcards or Swift cards on the card readers when boarding, as this is not required for the scheme. 

The Swift team and Operators will remove any taps of cards showing in the system during the offer time.  

The scheme applies to all bus operators running services on NYD.
 

How will it impact the customer and/or the customer service team? 

Customers will benefit from free bus travel, encouraging use of public transport.  

Customer service teams may receive queries about the offer and potential refund requests if accidental taps occur due to card readers being active. 

A marketing and communications campaign will raise awareness, but teams should be prepared to address any confusion or concerns from customers. 

Can I travel for free on tram/train?

No - the offer only applies to travel on buses 

The offer is only available within the nBus West Midlands boundary.  Those travelling outside of this area will need to pay once they cross the boundary.  Map of the nBus West Midlands boundary 

Nb. The only exception to this is if the customer is travelling on a National Express service, they have extended the offer to cover travel in NX outer zones 

No ticket is required. Simply board the bus, and the driver will record your journey. 

You don't need to apply, or get any special ticket. Just hop on any bus within the nbus West Midlands boundary and travel for free.

Offer is valid on New Year's Day only. (Wednesday 1 January)

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All bus operators within the West Midlands are participating in the offer, you can find a full list visit here

Validity across operators:

National Express West Midlands & Coventry
Valid on all buses.

Map of the National Express Bus operating area 

Diamond Buses 

Valid on buses in the nBus boundary 

Stagecoach 

Valid on buses in the nBus boundary 

Visit operator websites for further information.

Anywhere within the nBus network boundary

Bus drivers will encourage all passengers to not engage with the ticket machine, walking past prior to taking a seat. Not to sell nBus and nNetwork tickets or any other ticket for travel within the nBus area on board when free travel is active. Record all free journeys manually through their ticket machine. 

No. Passengers should not tap their cards as the scheme does not require it. 

Operators offering “tap and cap” travel are asked to take action to ensure any taps that would be eligible for free travel do not result in charges to customers. If a charge occurs due to active card readers, customers can request a refund via the Operator of that bus journey. 

For customers who may accidentally tap a Swift Go card, TfWM will be removing these taps from the Swift Go back office so customers are not charged. If a customer is charged during the scheme operating hours, customers can request a refund via TfWM, there will be a slight delay in processing the refund due to the capping window.  

If a customer is charged during the scheme operating hours, customers can request a refund via TfWM. On NX services, if the contactless card is scanned on NYD no charge will be applied to the card. 

Yes, banners and notifications will be displayed on the TfWM app and website, advising customers not to purchase tickets if they intend to travel on NYD.

Operators will alert customers on their portals and apps ahead of and during the offer. 

Customers will be notified on TfWM and operator apps and portals to increase awareness of the offer before customers make a decision to purchase a ticket. If a customer feels they should be entitled to a refund these will be handled on a case by case basis.  

No refunds will be provided as this scheme is designed to attract new users to the bus network, supported by government funding. 

We are hoping to reward our loyal bus customers soon. 

Visit the TfWM website for ticket options.

The offer will be promoted via social media.

No. Services will run as planned and details of service levels on NYD can be found on the TfWM journey planner

Get Bus Timetables for your service by searching the route number.

If you’re not sure of your route, you can: