Overview

• ENCTS currently provides free bus travel from 9:30am to 11pm on weekdays and all day on weekends and bank holidays for eligible users in England.
• Transport Minister Simon Lightwood said the Government has no current plans to lift weekday limits, citing the Transport Act 2000 and an annual cost of about £700 million.
• Local authorities have discretion to extend hours, with about 78% having moved the weekday start earlier by March 2025.
• Cambridgeshire and Peterborough allow free travel at all hours, and Greater Manchester ran a pre‑9:30am trial in August.
• Greater Manchester plans a November trial for all‑day validity, while petitions seek 24‑hour access for disabled people and free passes for carers, with formal responses triggered at 10,000 and debates considered at 100,000 signatures.