Tickets for children
Under 5
Up to four children under 5 years old can travel for free when accompanied by a responsible passenger. These children can’t:
- take a seat that a paying passenger might need
- stay in a buggy in an unsuitable place on the bus
Children under 5 who can’t travel for free, can travel for between half and two thirds the cost of most adult fares.
See our conditions of carriage for more information about carrying small prams and buggies.
5–15 year olds
Children aged five to 15 years can usually travel for between half and two thirds the cost of most adult fares.
The rules for these children vary depending on the local authority area, which include:
- Greater Manchester (TfGM)
- Cheshire
- Derbyshire
ID cards for the over 11s
- in Greater Manchester, children must have an igo pass to qualify for child fares
- the Cheshire local authorities don’t provide any ID cards
- in Derbyshire, children must have a b_line card
Child dayrider tickets
In Greater Manchester children up to the age of 16 who hold an igo pass can buy a child dayrider ticket for 1 day's unlimited travel.
You can get Plus One DayRider tickets that give you unlimited travel for one adult and one child.
Group DayRider tickets are also available and offer unlimited travel for two adults plus three children.
easyrider tickets
In Greater Manchester, children up to the age of 16 with an igo pass can buy an easyrider ticket for seven days’ unlimited travel.
System One and get me there tickets
System One and "get me there" tickets are available for children aged 5 to 15. Children can get unlimited travel on Stagecoach buses as well as other operator’s bus services in Greater Manchester.
Daysaver tickets are available from the bus driver. Travel cards valid from one week to one year are available from TfGM Travelshops and Paypoint outlets. Find out more about System One tickets.
TfGM School Services
In Greater Manchester, children under 16 with an igo pass can buy seven day tickets to travel to and from school. This ticket is for certain TfGM School Services and you can travel on other companies’ buses too.
Children travelling across boundaries
Most of our services run within the Greater Manchester local authority area. There are a few exceptions, where bus services run from Manchester to Derbyshire, Cheshire and Lancashire.
The bus services which travel across to Cheshire are:
- 42C (Manchester to Handforth Dean)
- 358
- 360 (Stockport to Hayfield)
The bus services which travel across to Derbyshire are:
- 237
- 358
- 360 (Stockport to Hayfield)
The bus services which travel across to Lancashire are:
- 635 (Wigan to Wrightington Hospital)
Manchester igo pass holders
With an igo pass, you can travel within Greater Manchester for half the adult ticket price.
If you’re travelling across a boundary, you pay the cheapest ticket price. This is either:
- half an adult fare within Greater Manchester, and then the full adult ticket price for the journey outside Greater Manchester
- the full adult ticket price for the whole journey
Derbyshire b_line card holders
With a b_line card, you can travel within Derbyshire and across a boundary, for two thirds of the adult fare.
Travel in Cheshire
You can travel within Cheshire and across a boundary for two thirds of the adult fare.
