Whether you’re travelling regularly, heading out with family or friends, or simply making the most of discounted travel schemes, there are a range of tickets and concessions available to help you save money on bus travel. Explore the options below and find the right ticket for your journey.
The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme is administered locally by Leicestershire County Council for residents of the county and Leicester City Council for city residents.
Concessionary travel offers travel at a lower rate than the standard rate. Passes can be used by eligible older and disabled persons for free travel on local bus services in Leicester, Leicestershire and throughout England between 9:30am and 11pm on Monday to Friday and all day on weekends and bank holidays.
For those travelling on Park & Ride services including PR1, PR2 and PR3, the concessionary travel pass can be used at all times of the day for free travel.
From 1 April 2027, people who hold a disabled bus pass can travel on buses for free, no matter the time of day.
You can apply for a concessionary travel pass when you reach the state pension age. To find out more about eligibility for the scheme and to apply, please use the link below that is relevant to you.
You can apply for a disabled person’s bus pass if you meet certain criteria. To find out more about eligibility for the scheme and to apply, please use the link below that is relevant to you.
You will not be able to use your Older Person’s Bus Pass or Disabled Person’s Bus Pass to travel for free or at a reduced rate on trains. Whilst certain discounts may be available on trains within Leicestershire for older and disabled travellers, these are solely at the discretion of individual rail operators and those discounts are not administered or reimbursed by Leicestershire County Council.
To use your bus pass on local buses within England, show your pass to the driver as you get on. If the bus is fitted with a reader, touch the reader with your pass. You don’t need a ticket to travel, but on some services the driver may give you a zero-priced ticket to record their passenger numbers.
You can’t use your bus pass on services:
A Flexi ticket gives you unlimited travel on any participating bus service that falls within the zone. It allows you to buy a discounted single ticket or bundle of tickets over a specified time period so that you are free to travel anytime and anywhere within the ticket zone.
A Flexi ticket can be used on any participating service within the zone.
The following operators offer Flexi tickets:
Please note that the PR1, PR2 and PR3 Park & Ride services operated by Roberts Travel are not included in the scheme.
Tap on, tap off
Simply “tap on” your contactless card or phone (with Google or Apple Pay enabled) on the ticket machine when you board the bus and “tap off” on the Tap off Reader when you alight, and your fare will automatically be calculated and capped.
It’s as easy as that! No need to worry about having the correct change or having to buy a ticket upfront. Simply ‘tap on’ and ‘tap off’ as you travel.
No matter how many trips you make and which bus company you travel with, your fare will be capped at the current day or weekly Flexi fare,
Each time you travel you will be charged the adult single fare, until you reach the relevant cap.
On your mobile phone
You can buy our full range of Flexi tickets through participating bus company’s ticketing apps – buy on any app and use on any bus company within the scheme. Each bus company’s app is available in both the Apple Store and Google Play.
On the bus
You can buy on bus paper Adult, Child and Family day and weekly tickets from the driver on all bus companies within the scheme. Contactless payment methods are available on all bus companies for your convenience and safety.
A Flexi add on is available to buy from both Arriva or Centrebus when your purchase an East Midlands zonal adult day or week ticket, offering 50% off the price of Flexi.
| Adult | Child | Student | |
| Single | £3 | £3 | £3 |
| Day | £6.20 | £4.30 | N/A |
| Week | £23 | £16 | N/A |
| 4-weekly | £78 | £49 | £68 |
| Annual | £820 | £540* | £575* |
| Family day (for up to 2 adults and 3 children under 16) |
* Please note:
Child tickets are available to customers up to the age of 16.
Student tickets for 16 and 17 year olds require a valid proof of Date of Birth, i.e. passport or birth certificate. Students aged 18 and over will be required to present a valid student ID card.
*Child and Student Annual Tickets will be available to purchase via direct debit on the Arriva and First Bus ticketing apps. Terms and conditions can be found HERE.
Single fare shown is the current national maximum.
Family Day ticket is for up to 2 adults and 3 children under the age of 16 travelling together.
Plusbus is an add-on that is available for purchase with rail tickets at any National Rail station ticket office or online. It gives you unlimited bus travel to and from the rail station, and within the Leicester Flexi area on all bus operators for the period printed on your ticket.
The National Bus Fare Cap scheme first introduced in 2023 is funded by HM Government to make bus travel for passengers in England more affordable. The cap applies to fares for single (one-way) journeys of any distance on bus services provided by operators who are taking part in the scheme. The scheme currently runs until March 2027.
Participating bus operators in the East Midlands region are Arriva, Central Connect, Centrebus, First Bus Leicester, Kinchbus, Nottingham City Transport, Stagecoach Midlands and Trentbarton.
