Get Round for £1

If you’re 21 or under you can now go by bus for just £1 or less! Or, you can buy a £3 unlimited day ticket to get round County Durham, Northumberland and Tyne & Wear – you can go by Metro or ferry too.

So, if you’re going to college, work or just meeting mates – it’s a cheaper, greener way to get around.

Eligibility

Who is eligible for the ticket?

Anyone aged 21 or under is eligible for the ticket. Proof of age may be required; accepted forms of ID are listed in the terms and conditions above. If proof of age is not demonstrated upon request then you will not be able to travel using this ticket. Revenue protection checks are undertaken on bus services including checking customers are not travelling fraudulently. Please note there may be a penalty for improper use.

Which bus services can I use these tickets on?

Most operators in the Durham, Northumberland and Tyne & Wear regions are participating in the scheme and the products are valid on the majority of services (see ‘Excluded services’). Tickets are also valid on cross boundary services into Tees Valley, but not for onwards travel. For services which cross the boundary to Cumbria they are only valid for the part of the journey within Northumberland (see ‘Areas covered by offer’). For Borders Buses services they are only valid on services starting or ending in England B1, 266, 267, 418, 464, 477, 918.

Excluded services: Borders Buses services 32, 60, 67, 235, 253 are currently excluded from this scheme as their journey starts or ends in Scotland. There are also a limited number of special services where these products will not be valid, including tour buses, match day services and some school services and Durham Park and Ride PR1 and PR2.

Using the offer

Where can I buy 21 and under tickets?

The 21 and under £1 single ticket, and £3 day ticket can be purchased in advance online or through operator apps, as well as being available to purchase on the bus – just ask the driver for the named ticket above.

Products that are valid in the Tyne & Wear area can also be purchased on Metro ticket machines.

How do I use a £3 Day ticket?

This will depend on which operator you are travelling with and the type of ticket machine they have.

Where a QR code is generated on your ticket, this should be scanned on services where ticket machines facilitate this. If the ticket purchased does not have a QR code, just show the ticket to the driver on all subsequent trips. You will also be able to show the ticket to Tyne and Wear Metro staff to gain access through the barriers.

Go North East and Arriva services have ticket machines where QR codes will be printed and scanned for each journey.

Tickets purchased through Stagecoach, smaller bus operators and Metro will not produce QR codes.

Is this the cheapest ticket for a child (under-16)?

In County Durham and Northumberland this will usually be the cheapest fare available for children, although some specific services might have cheaper fares such as the Durham Cathedral buses 40, 40A, 40C.

In Tyne and Wear children can travel for 60p single / £1.10 day ticket if they have an Under 16 Pop card (see https://www.nexus.org.uk/under-16-pop-card-0) but this will usually be the cheapest ticket option if your child does not have an Under 16 Pop card.

Under 5s always travel for free.

During school holidays check whether our #KidsGoFree offer is running: https://www.northeast-ca.gov.uk/kidsgofree

Is a £3 Day ticket cheaper than a Return or operator-specific day ticket?

The 21 and under £1 ticket is a single ticket only so for a return trip using a single bus each way you would purchase a single for each journey. If your trip or expected travels during the day will involve more than three separate buses or other modes then the £3 ticket will provide best value.

How many journeys can I do with these tickets?

There is no limit on the number of journeys which can be made within the validity of your travel ticket – so the more journeys you make, the more money you will save!

What happens if I'm not sure how many journeys I will do?

A 21 and under ticket cannot be re-issued during its validity, and therefore a decision needs to be made in advance of purchasing your ticket as to which product will offer the best value.

In 2025, we are aiming to implement smart capping which will enable flexibility so the best value fare will be calculated automatically. Find out more here.

What if I lose my ticket?

21 and under tickets are non-refundable and will not be replaced. In the event you lose your ticket, you will need to buy a replacement.

Areas covered by the offer

Can I use the offer if my journey starts in the North East Combined Authority area but ends in a different region?

From 16 June 2024, Tees Valley will also be using BSIP funding to match our offer for customers 21 and under. Customers boarding in the North East Combined Authority area can use their ticket on the cross boundary services listed below into Tees Valley, but not for onwards travel. Customers boarding in Tees Valley with a Tees Valley ticket will also be accepted on the below services into the North East Combined Authority area, but these tickets will also not be valid for onwards travel.

Service 1 (Tow Law - Darlington),
Service 5 (Bishop Auckland - Darlington),
Service 7 (Durham - Darlington),
Service 8 (Spennymoor - Darlington),
Service X10 (Newcastle - Middlesbrough),
Service X12 (Newcastle - Middlesbrough),
Service X22 (Sunderland - Durham),
Service 23 (Sunderland - Hartlepool),
Service 24 (Durham - Hartlepool),
Service 59 (Durham - Hartlepool),
Service X75/X76 (Barnard Castle - Darlington).

For journeys over the western (Cumbria) and Northern (Scotland) borders, eligibility remains unchanged with tickets only valid for journeys wholly within the North East Combined Authority region.

The Enhanced Partnership consists of local transport authorities and bus operators working together to enhance the bus network and improve services across the North East.

These fares initiatives are being delivered through money awarded to the region through our Bus Service Improvement Plan.

The scheme is funded until December 2025.

Terms and conditions

All tickets are non-refundable and must be replaced if lost or damaged. All tickets are also subject to the relevant operators’ conditions of carriage.

This fare may not be available on a small number of services such as tour buses and match day services.

Proof of age may be required. Valid ID is defined as:
1. a Passport (UK or International)
2. proof of age cards with a PASS logo (e.g. a CitizenCard or Young Scot card)
3. a driving licence or provisional driving licence (UK or EU)
4. EU national identity card
5. a NHS Medical Card
6. operator proof of age cards (e.g. Stagecoach U19 ID card, Nexus U16 Pop card, Arriva North East Teen Card or Network One Young Person's ID card)
Day Rovers only allow travel within each zone named in the ticket.
1. The TNE Zone is defined as Northumberland County Council, Durham County Council and Tyne & Wear.
2. If the service partially operates outside the TNE Zone, the products are only valid for parts of the journeys that are wholly within that zone.
Where a ticket has been generated with a QR code, this should be scanned for all subsequent journeys, where possible.
1. If your ticket does not have a QR code, then the ticket should be presented to drivers/Metro staff for all subsequent journeys.
All tickets are non-refundable and must be replaced if lost or damaged.
All tickets are subject to the relevant operators’ conditions of carriage.
Ticket holders do not have precedence over other passengers.
The unlimited day fare covers bus, Metro, Shields Ferry and the Northern Rail services between Blaydon and Sunderland.
From 16 June 2024, customers 21 and under can use their £1 single or £3 day ticket for journeys on cross boundary services into Tees Valley only. Onwards journeys within Tees Valley are not permissible with tickets purchased in the North East Combined Authority area. (Eligible services listed in FAQ's below).

In the event of a suspension of services because of strikes, labour disputes, emergency or adverse weather conditions, reasonable refunds or extension of validity of pre-purchased tickets may be considered but the decision will be entirely at the discretion of the company.

Refunds will not be made in respect of days on which it can reasonably be foreseen that no service or a replaced service will be provided, or days on which the company has advertised a reduction or suspension of service, such as Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.