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Children aged five to 15 can travel free on most local buses across England throughout August as part of the Government's Great British Summer Savings scheme, aimed at easing cost-of-living pressures on families

A month of free bus travel for children in England has started.

Most under-16s will be not be required to pay for travel on most local buses throughout August, the Department for Transport (DfT) said. This is aimed at easing cost-of-living pressures on families during the school summer holidays.

The Government's Great British Summer Savings scheme also means VAT has been cut on items such as children's meals at restaurants, children's theatre and cinema tickets, and family attractions including theme parks and adventure centres. The DfT identified several popular sites which can be visited using free bus travel for children, such as York Dungeon, Windsor Castle and the National Space Centre in Leicester.

Bus fares usually cost £1-£2 for children aged five to 15. Bus travel is free for under-5s. Last week, the Government announced it will reintroduce a £2 cap on bus fares for all passengers from the start of next year. The current cap is £3.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: "We're giving families room to breathe from the cost-of-living squeeze.

"With free bus travel for five to 15-year-olds and discounts on kids' meals at restaurants, cinema tickets and theme parks, we're helping people make the most of the time they have together for the school holidays.

"Not only are we lowering costs for the summer, the £2 bus fare cap will help all passengers get to where they need to for less."

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