October 05 2026
Three leading bus and transport organisations have come together to call on local authorities to prioritise festive travel offers that encourage bus use this Christmas, rather than funding discounted parking.
In a joint letter, the Confederation of Passenger Transport, Bus Users UK and Campaign for Better Transport highlight the significant economic contribution bus passengers make to the UK’s high streets. KPMG research for CPT shows that bus passengers spend more than £39bn a year in local economies.
Bus travel offers during the busy Christmas period provide an inclusive and sustainable way to encourage people into town and city centres to enjoy festive retail, hospitality and leisure opportunities, without adding more cars, congestion and pollution to already busy roads.
The organisations point out that well-designed bus schemes can help increase footfall for local businesses throughout the festive season, while also making town centres more pleasant and accessible for visitors, residents and workers.
While discounted parking schemes are often well intentioned, they can encourage more car journeys at one of the busiest times of the year. The organisations are therefore encouraging local authorities to use the powers available to them to support bus travel, rather than incentivising driving.
Last Christmas, several local authorities introduced such schemes. For example, Swansea worked with local operators to offer free journeys to and from the city centre on weekends in December, while Worcestershire and North East Lincolnshire capped fares at £1 and £1.50 respectively at specific times throughout the festive period. Swansea Council has seen particular success with their scheme, having run it for five years and recorded more than one million free journeys in that time.
Therefore, the organisations are recommending that councils develop bus-focused offers suited to their local area, working closely with operators to ensure schemes are practical, properly funded and clearly promoted through local communications during the festive period to maximise uptake.
Alison Edwards, CPT Director of Policy and External Relations, said:
“CPT is proud to be working with partners across the industry to encourage local authorities to put bus travel at the heart of their Christmas plans. We’ve seen that fare offers can have a real impact, with a number of local schemes across the country last Christmas making it cheaper and easier for people to get into town centres, support local businesses and enjoy the festivities without having to worry about driving or parking – while also giving them a safe and convenient way to get home.”
Silviya Barrett, Director of Policy and Research at Campaign for Better Transport, said:
"Bus travel offers enable everyone, including people without cars, to visit high streets and enjoy the festive season. They boost local economies while reducing traffic jams and air pollution. And they are the Christmas gift that keeps on giving: by raising awareness of bus travel as a great way to get into town, they encourage people to use buses more all year round."
Lydia Horbury, Chief Executive at the passenger champions Bus Users UK said:
“Christmas is a brilliant opportunity to show what buses can bring to passengers and local communities. A well-designed festive offer can make getting into town easier and more affordable, while giving people the confidence to choose the bus for their Christmas shopping, socialising and celebrations.
The key is making these schemes simple and genuinely useful to passengers. Get that right and councils can turn a positive experience at Christmas into a lasting shift in how people choose to travel.”