Birthday Bus Pass initiative returns for another year

The county Birthday Bus Pass initiative is set to return for another year. More than 30,000 people have already signed up for their month of free bus travel, ahead of the popular Birthday Bus initiative restarting on December 1.

Dan Norris, the Mayor of the West of England, is reminding residents born in December to sign up before the end of today (November 22) to ensure that their Birthday Bus pass arrives in time to use for the start of next month.

Mayor Dan Norris said: “The first year of Birthday Buses was a huge success, with 72,000 passengers taking 1.2 million free journeys. Together, they saved over 1,100 tonnes of carbon emissions, equivalent to 5 million petrol car miles.

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“It’s fantastic that more than 30,000 people have already signed up for free bus travel during their Birthday Bus month. Brilliantly, more than one-in-five of the people who have signed up are new to the scheme.

“I encourage everyone in our region with a December birthday to sign up at BirthdayBus.co.uk so that they can make the most of their Birthday Bus month.”

Eight out of 10 people who got Birthday Bus passes during the initiative’s first year are driving less now. And 90% of Birthday Bus users said that the free pass has played a key role in getting them to take the bus more.

The sustainable transport initiative, according to an independent assessment by KPMG, had a benefit-to-cost ratio of around 2.2 to 1, meaning almost £5 million of benefits for the region between August 2023 and July 2024. Mayor Dan Norris announced the return of Birthday Buses on October 28.

Residents can now get free bus travel for the whole of their birthday month, plus the following one, if they apply before their 21st birthday. This year, everyone who signs up for their Birthday Bus pass will also have access to numerous exclusive offers, freebies, and discounts with local businesses to help celebrate their birthday in style, including attractions like Aerospace Bristol, restaurants like Big Bao, and experiences like The Soul Spa.

People who had a Birthday Bus pass last year have been sent an e-mail to renew with just one click. Where people have moved address or other details have changed since applying for their first Birthday Bus pass, they will need to update their details.

Around 25,000 people have already renewed, with almost 6,000 new sign-ups. People who have had a Birthday Bus pass before and who were born in December, will receive a further reminder e-mail encouraging them renew.

Funding for the project, and wider investment in buses in our region, was secured from the Department for Transport. Birthday Buses is a joint initiative of the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority and North Somerset Council.