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.
During the coronavirus outbreak North Yorkshire County Council, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Lancashire County Council have made arrangements for most bus companies to accept concessionary bus passes for free travel at all times, helping older people and those with disabilities to access shops and supermarkets earlier in the day.
Passes are however not valid for free travel on some demand responsive services, nor on some Summer seasonal buses.
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
Family £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:
All DalesBus services (24, 72, 855, 856, 873, 874 and 884)
All Harrogate Bus Company services (1A, 1B, 1C, 2A, 2B, 3, 6, 7, 24, 36)
All Keighley Bus Company services (B2, B3, K1, K3, K5, K6, K7, K9, K14, 60, 62, 66, 67, 662, 821, 873, 884, 965)
First Leeds services 33, 34 and X84 between Leeds and Otley/Ilkley
Flying Tiger service 747 between Bradford and Harrogate
Burnley Bus Company Witchway service X43 between Manchester and Burnley and Pendle Wizz service between Burnley and Skipton
If you have any valid Metro MCard loaded with a weekly or longer period ticket you can travel for free throughout Sunday and Bank Holiday DalesBus services to and from West Yorkshire - during the winter months these are services 873, 874and 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). Tickets are (at January 2020) £11 adult and £7 child.
Daytripper Plus tickets also include travel on Coastliner and CityZap, and on the open-top York City Sightseeing bus. Daytripper Plus Tickets are priced (at March 2020) at:
£17.50 Adult
£11.60 Young Person (under 19)
£30.00 Group (up to 5 people travelling together)
K-Day tickets allow unlimited travel for a day on most buses operated by The Keighley Bus Company, including service 62 to/from Otley, Dalesway service 66 to/from Skipton, service 72 between Skipton and Grassington, and Wharfedale Links services. K-Day tickets are also valid on Mainline service m4 between Keighley and Colne, and on Pendle Wizz between Barnoldswick and Skipton.
Tickets, available from the driver, are priced (from 1 September 2019) at £4.50 for adults (£5.00 before 0930 on Mondays to Fridays) and £2.20 for children.
There are some restrictions on the use of K-Day and K-Zone Extra tickets on the following service:
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, and unlimited travel on any of these DalesBus services:
72 between Skipton and Grassington
74 between Ilkley, Bolton Abbey and Grassington (Saturdays only)
75 between Skipton and Malham (Saturdays only)
873/884 between Ilkley and Skipton (Sundays only)
874 between Ilkley, Grassington and Buckden (Sundays 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 (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 January 2020) at £32.80 for adults and £16.40 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 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.