School travel

Make your money go further

At Arriva we know that moving up to secondary school is a big deal and can mean taking the bus to and from school for the first time. This is why we offer frequent and reliable services to and from major schools and educational establishments across the UK as well as money-saving child tickets to keep costs low too.

Save money with Child tickets

If a pupil isn't entitled to a bus travel pass from their local authority, our child tickets are a great money saving option, they offer:

Discounted bus tickets
Unlimited travel on all Arriva services in specified zones
A choice of tickets including Day, Weekly, 4-Weekly and dedicated term tickets

Tickets can be bought from:

the bus driver
online by clicking here
through the Arriva UK Bus App

They can also be delivered by post or directly to a pupil's mobile phone too. What's more, you can make payment simple by spreading the cost over monthly installments by Direct Debit.

Our school and college partners

We work with some of schools and colleges across the UK to offer prompt and efficient bus services and significant travel discounts to pupils travelling to school or college

Frequently Asked Questions

Who else can I contact about school travel?

Some school buses are operated under contract, often to a local authority. Arriva and many other local bus companies are employed to provide these contracted buses.

Details of routes, times and eligibility to travel will all be controlled by your school and/or local authority. Please contact them for more details.

What about tickets on normal public bus services for pupils?

Some local authorities provide pupils with tickets to ride on normal public bus services. Enquiries about tickets in these circumstances need to be made to your school or local authority.

Many schools are sited on or near our normal bus services. Sometimes journeys on these routes divert briefly off the normal route to call at a school at the appropriate times.

How can I contact the Arriva Student department?

If you have an issue regarding a Smart Card ticket, please contact:

Telephone: 0191 520 4144 (open Mon-Fri between 9am and 5pm)

Email us

How does the West Yorkshire M-Cards work?

If your home address is within West Yorkshire Combined Authority, you can buy an Under 16 or 16-18 M-Card, for all buses or all buses & trains within West Yorkshire, including those not operated by Arriva.

Find out more about the West Yorkshire M-Cards by clicking here.

Direct Debit Terms and Conditions

Administration

Direct debit payments are taken on the 1st or 15th of each month, dependent on date of application
For payments on the 1st your tickets will be dispatched thereafter and commence on 12th of the month
For payments on the 15th your tickets will be dispatched thereafter and commence on 27th of each month
Dependent on your payment date your monthly ticket will expire at midnight on the 11th or 26th of the following month
Your next ticket will automatically be sent directly to your home or registered m-ticket app every month before the current expire, as long as your DD remains active
Your payment will remain the same each month unless we notify otherwise
Annual tickets paid via direct debit form a rolling contract, these tickets will not expire until instructed to do so via your bank.
This scheme is valid for passengers travelling on Arriva buses, and tickets are valid in the zone chosen only
If your direct debit fails or is cancelled, you will not receive your ticket for the following month
Please report lost tickets to [email protected] immediately, a replacement ticket will be sent to you and a fee of £25 will be added to your next direct debit

Ticket Validity

Tickets are valid for students in full time education (school, 6th form, college, university, etc).
Tickets are valid on any Arriva bus in the stated zone with no time or day restrictions.
Parents or guardians can set up the Direct Debit on behalf of the student (please enter the student's name in the relevant field for the direct debit mandate).
You will be notified if the price increases or decreases, in line with the annual ticket pricing.

Refunds

No refunds will be given
If you need to cancel your direct debit, please cancel it directly with your bank - they will normally require 7-10 working days to process a cancellation. Please note that any payments taken within this cancellation timeframe are not eligible to be refunded.
Arriva will not accept responsibility for cancelling direct debits
Cancellation of your direct debit requires 7 to 10 working days’ notice with your bank
If your payment is due to be taken within the required notice period (and you have requested your direct debit to be cancelled too late), your ticket will still be sent to you and cannot be refunded
We do not accept used/unused/unwanted tickets