Catch the Bus Month arrives in York with free bus travel on offer

Over the next few weeks, City of York Council will be celebrating the bus network in York, which includes six operators delivering more than 40 routes serving over 1000 bus stops, linking our city centre to villages, Park and Ride sites and further afield, including key regional cities and towns like Leeds, Scarborough and Hull.

BetterPoints is a free mobile app rewards program designed to encourage people to be healthier and more sustainable, by walking, cycling, or catching a bus. Rewards are offered as points, which are a digital currency that you can use at high street stores or donate to charity.

This month, residents using the BetterPoints app can:

• Earn quadruple points for travelling by bus in York.
• Record a walk, wheel, cycle or bus trip of half a mile or more on the app to earn entry into a weekly prize draw to win an All York Month bus ticket worth £85
• Invite friends, family and colleagues to BetterPoints York to be entered into a weekly draw for 3 lots 15,000 BetterPoints (that’s £15)
• Earn up to five bus medals for taking the bus 20 times this month. BetterPoints can be downloaded to your phone using your app store.

Cllr Kate Ravilious, Executive Member for Transport at City of York Council said “Taking the bus is a great way to travel and help reduce traffic congestion in the city. We’re encouraging everyone to give the bus a try, and offering opportunities to earn extra rewards via BetterPoints. We’re also making bus travel more attractive by rolling out a series of improvements to shelters including new lighting and roofs, real-time information and accessible seating at hundreds of bus stops. Meanwhile, bus operators have brought in newer vehicles, free wifi and audio announcements too.

“There is still much to do and some areas of York are less well served than others but we’d encourage everyone who could make a switch just one or two days a week to take advantage of the benefits on offer, and give it a go.”

Much of the work we’ll focus on during September is funded by York’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) which has been running since 2022. Since April 2025, BSIP funding has been delivered via York & North Yorkshire Combined Authority.

David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, said: “Buses are at the heart of our transport system, with fares capped at £3, lower fares for young people, and longer hours at our park and rides, it’s a great time to catch the bus.

“We’re connecting people to opportunity with our targeted investment, growing passenger numbers, and our determination to make bus services in York and North Yorkshire better for passengers, we’re heading in the right direction.”

Catch the Bus Month also coincides with the publication of a new and updated bus route map for the city, which is available online or as a leaflet via your local Explore centre, library or the Visitor Information Centre on Parliament Street: https://www.itravelyork.info/york-bus-route-map