Senior citizens and disabled people from throughout England are entitled to free local off-peak bus travel. In order to benefit from this entitlement an English National Concessionary Pass is needed - details of how to apply for a pass are available from your local council.
Concessionary free travel is generally available from 0930 onwards on Mondays to Fridays (from 0900 for North Yorkshire residents), and at anytime on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays.
Passes are however not valid for free travel on some demand responsive services nor on the following summer-only Sunday and Bank Holiday DalesBus services:
DalesBus 822 between York, Ripon and Grassington.
Eastern DalesBus 825 between York, Harrogate, Leyburn and Richmond
Eastern DalesBus 829 between Richmond and Bedale
Northern DalesBus 830 between Preston, Lancaster, Ingleton, Ribblehead, Hawes and Richmond
Northern DalesBus 831 between Middlesbrough, Richmond, Hawes, Ingleton and Kirkby Lonsdale (except for journeys from the Middlesbrough/Darlington area)
Malham DalesBus 881 between Lancaster, Ingleton, Settle and Malham
On those Sunday and Bank Holiday DalesBus services on which elderly and disabled passes are not valid for free travel passholders can travel for a maximum fare of £3 per journey, or £5 for a day's travel with a Dales Privilege Rover ticket..
Passes may also be used for free travel on certain journeys on Mondays to Fridays before 0900 - including the 0720 service 24 bus from Pateley Bridge to Harrogate, the 0830 service 30 bus from Reeth to Richmond and Little White Bus services. For details contact North Yorkshire County Council or the bus operator.
Dales Rover tickets offer unlimited travel on all DalesBus services, and some key connecting bus services, on Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays only. They can be bought from the driver.
Adult £10
Group £18(for any group of up to 2 adults and 3 children)
Dales Rover tickets offer unlimited travel for a day on these services on Sundays and Bank holiday Mondays:
If you have any valid Metro MCard loaded with a weekly or longer period ticket you can travel for free throughout weekend DalesBus services to and from West Yorkshire - these are currently Saturday service 74 and Sunday/Bank Holiday services 821, 873, 874, 875and 884.
Help support the DalesBus network by buying DalesBus Donation tickets (available in units of £1 and £5 from the driver on DalesBus Saturday services 59 and 74, and DalesBus Sunday/Bank Holiday services 24, 821, 822, 825, 829, 830, 831, 873, 874, 875, 881 and 884).
Craven Connection Day Tickets are valid on Kirkby Lonsdale Coach Hire Craven Connection buses 580 (Skipton - Settle), 581 (Settle - Ingleton - Kirkby Lonsdale) and 582 (Kirkby Lonsdale - Lancaster), plus on Saturdays bus 75 (Skipton - Malham - Settle). Tickets are (at March 2021) £11 adult and £7 child.
K-Day tickets allow unlimited travel for a day on most buses operated by The Keighley Bus Company, including Dalesway service 66 to/from Skipton, DalesBus 72 between Skipton and Grassington, Cravenlink 873/884 between Ilkley and Skipton only, service 64 between Otley and Skipton and Wharfedale Links services. K-Day tickets are also valid on Mainline service m4 between Keighley and Colne, on Team Pennine service 502 between Keighley and Halifax, and on Pendle Wizz between Barnoldswick and Skipton.
Tickets, available from the driver, are priced (at March 2021) at £4.50 for adults (£5.00 before 0930 on Mondays to Fridays) and £2.20 for children.
A Freedom ticket, priced (at April 2016) at £9.00 for adults, £5.50 for children and £18.00 for a family ticket, is available on buses operated by Dales & District on Mondays to Saturdays. On Sundays and Bank Holidays Dales Rover tickets are available.
Rover tickets, priced (at June 2016) at £9.00 for adults, £18.00 for a family ticket and £4.50 for children are available for a day on all services operated by Little White Bus, and on service 155 between Bedale and Leyburn operated by North Yorkshire County Council.
Dales Rambler Day Ranger tickets are available for a day trip to the Dales from Leeds and Bradford and all stations on the Airedale and Wharfedale railway lines.
Tickets include travel on Northern Rail services between Bradford Forster Square / Leeds and Ilkley / Skipton, plus travel on these DalesBus services as shown:
72 between Skipton and Grassington
74 between Ilkley, Bolton Bridge and Grassington (Saturdays only)
75 between Skipton and Malham (Saturdays only)
873/884 between Ilkley, Skipton and Malham (Sundays only)
874/875 between Ilkley, Grassington and Buckden (Sundays only)
Prices (as at March 2021): Adult: £12.00; Child: £6.00; Railcard: £7.90; Family: £25.00
There are no time restrictions on the use of these tickets on either buses or trains.
Dales Rambler tickets can only be purchased at staffed railway stations or from the conductor on the train (when boarding at unstaffed stations or where the ticket office is closed). Tickets cannot be purchased on the bus.
Note that Dales Rambler tickets are not valid on services 72A/74A (NYCC) or 72B (UWB). Therefore there are no valid bus connections to/from Ilkley Station on Dales Rambler tickets on Mondays to Fridays (except on bank holidays) or on Winter Saturdays.
Day Rangers allow travel from any station between Leeds or Bradford Forster Square and Carlisle (via Settle). The ticket is valid for one day, and now has no time restrictions. It allows passengers to get on and off the train as they wish, travelling in any direction. Tickets are priced (as at March 2021) at £33.70 for adults and £16.85 for children – and railcard holders (including the local Dales Railcard) are eligible for a 1/3 discount. The Day Ranger ticket can be purchased at any staffed station ticket office or (if you board at a station without ticket purchasing facilities) from the guard on the train.
Pre-booked tickets on the Wensleydale Railway are now valid for free travel on Sundays between Richmond and Bedale Station on DalesBus 829. The bus leaves Richmond Market Place at 1300, returning from Bedale Station at 1540.
Day Ranger tickets give you the freedom to explore all over the North by train. Just hop on and off the train as many times as you wish.
Rover tickets allow you to travel on four out of eight consecutive days within your chosen area or on seven consecutive days covering the North East or North West.
Dales Railcards entitle holders to a one third discount on fares on the Leeds-Settle-Carlisle line, Leeds-Morecambe line, between Whalley and Hellifield (Sundays only) and to/from Brampton and Wetheral on the Tyne Valley line. They even offer travel on those lines from stations between Leeds, Bradford and Skipton, and permit up to four accompanying children to travel at discounted child fares.
Dales Railcard holders also usually benefit from an extra discount offer during the winter months.
Dales Railcards can be purchased for £10 for a year by residents in the postcode areas adjacent to the Skipton-Settle-Carlisle and Skipton-Lancaster railway lines. They can be purchased at.Appleby, Carlisle, Carnforth, Settle and Skipton stations, or online here. Further details of the Dales Railcard scheme are available on the Settle-Carlisle line website. Members of the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line or the Friends of DalesBus are also able to purchase a Dales Railcard for £12.50 for a year regardless of where they live.
Further details of the FoSCL Dales Railcard scheme and how to join online are available on their website.
Friends of DalesBus members can download an application form here (PDF file) and details of how to join online are available on their website.
A2BNoW is a reduced fare bus travel card for 5-18 year olds living in South Lakeland. If you are aged 5 - 18 and live in South Lakeland your A2BNoW card can let you travel on local buses for a maximum of £1.80 for a single journey or £3.00 return.See Cumbria County Council website for further details.