Single bus fares in England are capped at £3 until at least March 2027 by most bus companies as part of a special offer funded by the Department for Transport.
The offer is available on most scheduled bus services into and around the Yorkshire Dales area, including buses run by:
Burnley Bus Company (including Mainline)
First Leeds
Harrogate Bus Company (including DalesBuses 24 and 59)
Hodgsons
Keighley Bus Company (including service 72 & Cravenlink 864/873)
Procters (including services 73/138/138A and Wensleydale Flyer 856)
Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire (including service 280)
Upper Wharfedale Venturer
Western Dales Bus
York & Country (DalesBus 74)
York Pullman (DalesBus 874)
Different arrangements apply in some local areas, including West Yorkshire, where the maximum fare for journeys entirely within West Yorkshire is currently £2.50.
The £3 fare cap does not apply on service 561 operated by Westmorland and Furness Council.
Senior citizens and disabled people from throughout England are entitled to free 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 available from 0930 (from 0900 in North Yorkshire - including the Yorkshire Dales area) onwards on Mondays to Fridays, and at anytime on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays. This now includes all DalesBus services.
Passes may also be used for free travel on certain journeys on Mondays to Fridays before 0900 - including the 0715 service 24 bus from Pateley Bridge to Harrogate. For details contact North Yorkshire Council or the bus operator.
Passes are however not valid for free travel on some demand responsive services
Dales Rover tickets offer unlimited travel on all DalesBus services, and some key connecting bus services, on Sundays and Bank Holidays 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 Holidays:
All DalesBus services (24, 72, 856, 864, 873, 874)
All Harrogate Bus Company services (1A, 1B, 1C, 2, 3, 6, 7, 24, 36)
All Keighley Bus Company services (B2, B3, K1, K3, K5, K6, K7, K9, K14, 60, 62, Dalesway 66, 67, Shuttle 662, 862, 864, 873)
First Leeds services 33, 34 and X84 between Leeds and Otley/Ilkley
Flyer services A2 and A3 between Bradford, Leeds Bradford Airport and Harrogate/Otley
Burnley Bus Company Witchway service X43 between Manchester and Burnley and Mainline service M6 between Burnley and Skipton
Stagecoach service 280 between Preston, Clitheroe and Skipton
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 services 864, 873 & 874.
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 on all Sunday/Bank Holiday services except DalesBus 72 and DalesBus 856.
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 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 and Grassington (Saturdays only)
75 between Skipton and Malham (Saturdays only)
864/873 between Ilkley, Skipton and Malham (Sundays/Bank Holidays only)
874 between Ilkley, Grassington and Buckden (Sundays/Bank Holidays only)
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 (NYC) or 72B (UWV). Therefore there are no valid bus connections to/from Ilkley Station on Dales Rambler tickets on Mondays to Fridays (except on bank holidays).
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 has no time restrictions. It allows passengers to get on and off the train as they wish, travelling in any direction. Tickets are priced at £40.80 for adults and £20.40 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.
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 off-peak fares on the Leeds-Settle-Carlisle line, Leeds-Morecambe lines and between Whalley and Ribblehead on the the Dales Explorer service. They also include travel on those lines from Bradford, and permit up to four accompanying children to travel at discounted child fares.
Travel before 0815 on Mondays to Fridays is excluded.
Dales Railcard holders also usually benefit from an extra discount offer during the winter months - click here for details of the current offer available between 3rd November 2025 and 29th March 2026.
Dales Railcards can be purchased for £15 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, 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 (FoSCL) or LASRUG are also able to purchase a Dales Railcard for £15 regardless of where they live. Details of how to join FoSCL and order Dales Railcards are available on their website.
A2BNoW Cards for Young People in Westmorland and Furness
A2BNoW is a reduced fare bus travel card for 5-18 year olds living in Westmorland and Furness. If you are aged 5 - 18 and live in Westmorland and Furness 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 Westmorland and Furness website for further details.