Great British Summer Savings

From 1st – 31st August 2026 inclusive, Fastrack are excited to be supporting the UK Government’s ‘Great British Summer Savings’ initiative by offering free travel for children under 16 across our network!

The government's Great British Summer Savings initiative is helping families make the most of days out this summer, by making it cheaper to head out for meals, visit attractions or just explore in nature.

As well as funding free bus travel for children on bus routes in England, the government 's initiative is also reducing VAT on all tickets for attractions like museums, cinemas and amusement parks.

Find out more about how you could benefit from Great British Summer Savings here.

Terms and conditions apply and and all Fastrack routes are included in this scheme.

Children aged 5 to 11

All children aged 5 to 11 must be accompanied by a fare paying adult to benefit from this scheme. All adult single bus fares are currently £3 or less. A concessionary card holder is classified as a fare paying adult.

When you board the bus, you must tell the driver where you are going and how many 5–11-year-olds you have travelling with you. Each child will be issued a ticket which must be retained for the whole journey; If you’re making more than one trip in any one day, each child will have to be issued with a ticket for every journey made.

However, as the fare paying adult, we recommend you use tap on tap off to pay, so your daily fare will be capped at the cost of a Fastrack Day ticket.

Children aged 11 – 15 years

They are allowed to travel on the bus independently as part of the scheme. When they board the bus, they must tell the driver where they are going and wait for a ticket to be issued. They must keep hold of the ticket for the whole length of the journey.

Children aged 14 - 15 years - proof of age required!

For children aged 14 and 15 they will need proof of age with them such as a birth certificate, passport, school pass showing their year group for 2025/2026, or even their recently expired Kent Travel Saver. They don't have to have the actual document as a clear photograph of their birth certificate or passport on a mobile phone will be acceptable. If the person cannot confirm their age and the driver reasonably suspects they may be older than the scheme, they will need to pay the appropriate fare in order to travel.

What if my 15-year-old is taking their younger sibling out with them who is under 11?

This is not allowed under this scheme. To receive the free travel the youngest child can only travel with someone aged 16+ years and they may be asked for ID.

Will ID be required?

For children aged 14 and 15 they will need proof of age with them such as a birth certificate, passport, school pass showing their year group for 2025/2026. They don't have to have the actual document as a clear photograph of their birth certificate or passport on a mobile phone will be acceptable. If the person cannot confirm their age and the driver reasonably suspects they may be older than the scheme, they will need to pay the appropriate fare in order to travel.

Other child tickets

Fastrack child tickets have been temporarily withdrawn from sale in our app, as all children eligible for a Fastrack child fare can travel free under the scheme.

Our bus drivers are still able to sell child-fare multi-operator tickets, and these continue to be available in the Fastrack app for those who may be eligible for a child fare on participating operators in the Kent Thameside multi-operator scheme.