Bus passengers can travel for free this weekend across Kent and Medway.

With the weather looking promising travel planners hope it’ll be a bumper weekend for public transport thanks to the offer that aims to entice people back onto the county's buses.

Passengers can travel without paying on both Saturday and Sunday – up until 8pm each evening.

The initiative is thanks to a collaboration between Kent County Council and bus companies, paid for with government funding, as part of efforts to boost passenger numbers which have fallen significantly since the pandemic.

It also coincides with the Kent Big Weekend, organised with Visit Kent, that gives free or reduced cost entry to more than 70 tourist attractions.

Kent’s bus services have come under fire this week after it was revealed that several villages in the county face being left with no service at all under plans to axe some routes because of dwindling passenger numbers and rising costs.

A government minister also visited Kent on Wednesday to announce a £16 million funding boost for local bus services. Where that money will be spent is still to be confirmed.

Those wishing to travel for free can jump on any bus within Kent and Medway on Saturday and Sunday. There is no need to book or register your interest in advance. More details are also available here.

KCC’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, David Brazier said operators face a real challenge to keep services running and it is hoped that the waiving fees for one weekend will encourage more people to consider using public transport.

He explained: “‘We are very grateful to the government for providing us with the funding to support our Bus Service Improvement Plan.

“Reduced use of buses and increased operating costs means that there is a real challenge for operators to sustain their services. This is one of a number of new initiatives that we hope can improve our network and encourage greater bus use helping to make services sustainable in the future.”