Sun sets on 5 for £5 Summer Bus Travel Offer

With the start of the new school year just around the corner, the Summer 2023 5 for £5 group fare offer will come to an end on Sunday 3 September

With the start of the new school year just around the corner, the Summer 2023 5 for £5 group fare offer will come to an end on Sunday 3 September.

Southampton City Council has worked in partnership with local bus operators Bluestar and First Solent on the Group Ticket offer since 22 July, working alongside the £1 evening fare offer and the national £2 fare cap, and allowing up to five people to travel together for just £5.

The offer has helped families and friends alike to join in with a jam-packed Summer in the city, from the free sporty, creative and technical activities for children delivered through the Holiday Activity and Food programme to big events like the FIFA Women’s World Cup Final, Southampton Pride and the Saints return to action in the Championship.

The 5 for £5 offer has been funded through the Department for Transport’s Bus Service Improvement Plan Plus (‘BSIP +’) allocation to Southampton City Council and, over the summer period, 17,000 group tickets have been sold to date saving families and friends £51,000 on their bus travel.

The council will be evaluating the effectiveness of this offer in supporting families and groups to choose more sustainable methods of transport as well as options for the offer to potentially return later in the year.

Together with the £1 evening bus fare offer, which will be continuing, this forms part of the council’s plan for bus travel, known as the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP). The BSIP, delivering in partnership with local bus operators, aims to make buses an attractive choice for people, built on reliability, sustainability and value for money.

Councillor Eamonn Keogh, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, commented:

“We are delighted with the response to the 5 for £5 offer, with an estimated* 51,000 people spending less on bus travel over the summer and therefore having more money in their pockets for the things they need. Over this last weekend we’d urge people to get out there and enjoy Southampton by bus. We are committed to working with our local bus operators to provide a reliable and affordable service and the £1 evening fare will continue to benefit local people.”