County council and bus companies unite to get young people travelling for free this summer

More than 150,000 children and young people have already been able to enjoy free bus travel in Kent this summer and there’s still time for anyone who hasn’t taken advantage of this unique offer to pick up a pass.

The scheme, the only one of its kind in England, was made possible after 14 bus companies united with Kent County Council, as part of the Reconnect programme, to offer free travel for all children and young people aged up to 18, as well as families with younger children, during the summer holidays. The offer runs until Tuesday, August 31 so anyone without a pass only has limited time to pick one up from a local collection point where replacement passes can also be obtained.

The Reconnect: Kent Children and Young People programme, will run until August 2022 and aims to help the county’s younger generation reconnect with the aspects of their lives that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. A programme of fun activities and learning opportunities is running across Kent throughout the summer holidays.

In addition to the passes for 11 to 18-year-olds, a further 40,000 family passes have been made available for families with younger children who do not have access to their own transport. The family passes allow four family members, including at least one adult, to travel for free.

All the bus passes are valid throughout the county between Thursday, July 22 and Tuesday, August 31.

Bus companies usually report a drop in the number of children and young people using their services during the summer holidays as they aren’t travelling to and from school but this year the businesses KCC works with have noticed a marked increase.

Sue Chandler, Kent County Council’s Cabinet Member for Integrated Children’s Services, said: “My colleagues and I are delighted that, by working with our partner organisations, we have been able to provide what we believe is a unique offer to the children and young people of Kent. I would like to once again thank the owners, managing directors and staff of each of the 14 bus companies for uniting with us under the Reconnect banner and helping us give something back to members of the younger generation, who have sacrificed so much throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We must also thank everyone across Kent who has contributed to providing such a wide variety of activities as part of the Reconnect programme’s summer offer.

There is still time for children and young people to pick up a free bus pass and join in with the Reconnect programme; see the webpages for the full list of local collection points and activities on offer.