All families can also travel free with a Reconnect Family Bus Pass.

Young Person’s Bus Pass

To help them travel around the county during the school holidays, every young person in school Years 6 to 13 can receive a free bus pass, which can be used on Stagecoach and Arriva buses, as well as on other services KCC subsidises, between 23 July and 31 August 2022.

Pupils in Years 6 to 13 should receive their Reconnect bus pass from their state school or college by the end of term. Those who do not can get a digital pass here from 20^th July, or they can pick up a printed bus pass from a collection point from 20^th July.

Children and young people aged 11 to 18 who are not in state schools – for example because they are independent school students or are educated at home – are still entitled to a free bus pass. Click here to find out how to obtain one.

Family Bus Pass

The family pass allows up to four family members to travel by bus for free this summer, with at least one adult and one child travelling together.

Digital family passes are available here from 20^th July, or a printed pass can be collected from a collection point from 20^th July, while stocks last.

In both cases, Young Person’s and Family, the bus pass can be used as many times as required between 23 July and 31 August 2022 inclusive. It can be used only on routes within Kent, so not for services operating in Medway, East Sussex, West Sussex, Surrey or the Transport for London area.

KCC Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, Shellina Prendergast, said: “Keeping children and young people busy and active during the school holidays benefits their minds as well as their bodies.

“The free summer Young Person’s bus pass presents a great opportunity to young people to get out and about and enjoy themselves as soon as they start their well-deserved summer holiday break. Across Kent there are lots of free, fun activities that offer children and young people hours of entertainment.  Both the free Young Person’s and free Family bus passes will open up so many opportunities for children and their families.

“I would like to say a huge thank you to the county’s bus companies who are once again so generously supporting children and young people to Reconnect this summer.”

The scheme is part of Reconnect: Kent Children and Young People, which was launched in March and runs until August. Reconnect is a community-led initiative designed to support Kent’s children and young people to reconnect with the activities and interests they enjoyed before the COVID-19 pandemic, help them catch up with learning they may have missed and, along the way, discover new interests and activities.

Collection points

There are 2 collection points for each district:

Ashford

Ashford Gateway Plus

Ashford Willow Centre, Brookfield Road, Ashford TN23 4EY

Canterbury

Canterbury Library at the Beaney

Canterbury    Poppy Children’s Centre, Kings Road, Herne Bay, CT6 5RG

Dartford

Dartford Library

Dartford Brent Children’s Centre, 43-15 Overy Street, Dartford DA1 1AH

Dover

Dover Discovery Centre

Dover Buckland & Whitfield Children’s Centre, St Nicholas Church, The Lines, Dover CT16 2BN

Folkestone & Hythe

Folkstone Library

Folkestone & Hythe Youth Hub, Folkestone Early Years, Dover Road, CT20 1QF

Gravesham

Gravesend Library

Gravesham   Northfleet Youth Hub, Hall Road, Northfleet, DA11 8AJ

Maidstone

Kent History and Library Centre, Maidstone

Maidstone Infozone, 3 Palace Avenue, Maidstone ME15 6NF

Sevenoaks

Sevenoaks Kaleidoscope

Sevenoaks    Swanley Youth Hub, St Mary’s Road, Swanley BR8 7BU

Sittingbourne

Sittingbourne Library

Swale Milton Court Centre, Brewery Road, Sittingbourne ME10 2EE

Thanet

Margate Gateway

Thanet, Quarterdeck Youth Hub, Zion Place, Margate CT9 1RP

Tonbridge

Tonbridge Library

Tonbridge & Malling Youth Hub, Avebury Avenue, Tonbridge TN9 1TG

Tunbridge Wells

Southborough library at Southborough Hub

Tunbridge Wells Youth Hub, 39a Grove Hill Road, Tunbridge Wells TN1 1SD

Terms and conditions (Full terms and conditions are set out on the bus passes.)

Young person bus passes

Terms and conditions:

• All young people in school years 6 to 13 who live, or go to school, in Kent are eligible for a bus pass.
• Bus passes will be valid from 23 July 2022 to 31 August inclusive.
• Bus passes cannot be used to board a bus after 9pm.
• The passes are only valid for journeys in Kent. They cannot be used to travel into or out of the county.
• Passes cannot be transferred between different young people.

Family bus passes

Terms and conditions:

• All families who live in Kent are eligible for a bus pass.
• Bus passes will be valid from 23 July to 31 August inclusive.
• Family passes provide travel for four members of a family – either one adult and three children or two adults and two children. Tickets will need to be purchased for any additional passengers.
• Passes can be transferred to one other adult within the same family. Passes cannot be transferred to another family.

• Family passes cannot be used by an adult without a child, or by a child without an adult.
• Bus passes cannot be used to board a bus after 9pm.
• The passes are only valid for journeys in Kent. They cannot be used to travel into or out of the county.

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