List of free public transport routes
This is a list of zero-fare public transport routes, especially limited zero-fare routes within a wider fare-paying network.
Australia
Australian Capital Territory
Former Services
- Canberra: ACTION operated the free "Downtowner" route around the city centre from 1991 until 1998.
- On 4 February 2013, ACTION commenced operating the "Centenary Loop" which was numbered as route 100. It operated around the city centre and parliamentary triangle to celebrate the centenary of Canberra. It ceased operation on 5 January 2014.
- ACTION operated a free weekday service around the city centre from 2016 until 2019.
New South Wales
- Homebush Bay: Telford's Bus & Coach operate the Baylink Shuttle, a weekday bus circulator between Rhodes Railway Station and Wentworth Point at 10 to 15 minute intervals between 06:30 and 19:00.
- Manly: Four free "Hop, Skip & Jump" minibus services operate in the municipality.
- Parramatta: In August 2008 Transdev NSW commenced operating a service around the CBD.
- Willoughby: The City of Willoughby contracts Transdev NSW to operate a daily free bus loop route that connects St Leonards station with the Artarmon industrial area.
- Wollongong: In 2009, Premier Illawarra commenced operating a free loop service in both directions connecting the University of Wollongong, North Wollongong station, Wollongong station, Wollongong Central and beach, running at intervals of 10 or 20 minutes. Route 55A operates in an anti-clockwise direction, 55C in a clockwise direction.
Former services
- On 15 December 1975, the Public Transport Commission commenced operating free route 777 around the Sydney central business district. It ceased in December 1989.
- On 3 December 2008, Sydney Buses commenced operating a free city loop service around the Sydney central business district. Route 555 operated in both directions via Bridge Street, George Street, Eddy Avenue and Elizabeth Street. It was later altered to operate up and down George Street from Circular Quay to Railway Square. It ceased in October 2015 due to commencement of construction of a light rail line, that is not free.
- Newcastle: Newcastle Transport operated a free bus zone in the CBD area between 07:30 and 18:00. This ceased with the introduction of Newcastle Light Rail in February 2019.
Queensland
- Brisbane: Brisbane Transport operate free bus trips on weekdays in the Brisbane central business district on route 30 between the CBD and Spring Hill and on routes 40 and 50 which mirror each other, varying only because of Brisbane's one-way street grid. The service is smaller than that of other cities.
- Sunshine Coast: Sunbus operate free services in the Noosa Heads region during the busy Christmas holiday period.
South Australia
- Tram routes within the city centre, to the Adelaide Festival Centre and to the Adelaide Entertainment Centre
- On the Glenelg tram between Brighton Road and Jetty Road in Glenelg.
- The City Connector:
- *A free bi-directional loop route, 99A and 99C also operates city centre
- *A free bi-directional loop route, 98A and 98C, between the CBD and North Adelaide
- The "Game Changer Footy Express" bus services are free to ticketholders of valid AFL game day ticket.
- Free community bus services operate in the suburbs of Glenelg and Port Adelaide
Temporary services
- During "Mad March", when the Adelaide Fringe, Adelaide Festival, WOMADelaide, Writers' Week and Adelaide 500 events, there is a limited free bus service in the CBD.
Previous services
- 97A and 97C buses linked the old with the new Royal Adelaide Hospital initially. The service ceased when the new tram extension opened in 2018.
- Years before that, a city service known as 99B used to ply King William Street from North Terrace to South Terrace, but this was terminated after the Glenelg tram extension up to North Terrace.
Tasmania
- Launceston: Metro Tasmania operate a free service around the central business district.
Victoria
- Melbourne: Since 1994, Yarra Trams has operated a free tram around the city centre. In 2015, free travel within the Melbourne city centre was introduced covering the city centre, the Queen Victoria Market and Docklands.
Western Australia
- Perth: Transperth operate free bus and train trips within the Perth city centre, including four high-frequency Central Area Transit bus loops. All bus and train trips that are completed entirely within the City of Perth local government area are free of charge. Free CAT bus services also operate in the centres of Fremantle and Joondalup.
Belgium
- Ghent – free night bus services.
- Leuven – free night bus services.
Canada
- Calgary, Alberta – Free C-Train light rail transit within the downtown core.
- Halifax, Nova Scotia – Free bus route around the downtown area in summer.
- Toronto, Ontario – Free LINK Train at Toronto Pearson International Airport
Czech Republic
- Hradec Králové, Czech Republic – all city buses and trolleybuses between the main train station and the new central bus terminal, since 2008 July 5.
Faroe Islands
- Torshavn, Faroe Islands - The municipality of the capital city Torshavn offers free bus service.
France
- Calais, France – Free bus called the Balad'in runs from Boulevard La Fayette to the beach and back every 10 minutes. Three buses operate on Monday to Saturday from 8.55am and with the last departures at 6.47pm and 7.02pm.
- Paris, France has frequent free transport routes that run around the Eurodisney Park and connect to hotels and alternative public transport routes nearby. There is also a free shuttle bus that connects the 'Centre Commercial Belle Epine' to a housing estate owned by Silic in the southern district of Orly.
- Tarbes in France offers a year-long free shuttle bus around the city, linking the main spots.
Greece
- Marousi, a wealthy northern suburb in Athens, Greece has small municipal bus shuttles which can be used for free by anyone.
Luxembourg
- In the beginning of 2020, Luxembourg will offer free public transit on all routes nationwide in an effort to relieve traffic congestion and prioritize environmental policy.
India
- Tirumalai, India – Free buses run by Temple authority to visit the nearby religious centres on the top of the hill.
Malaysia
- Kuala Lumpur - Go KL City Bus plying around Kuala Lumpur CBD focusing on tourist spots. Currently run by Rapid Bus and Konsortium Transnasional. Furthermore, Aerotrain is a free train service at the Kuala Lumpur airport, it operates between the two main terminals.
- Petaling Jaya - PJ City Bus, a free bus service funded by Petaling Jaya City Council.
- Ampang Jaya, Kajang, Klang, Hulu Selangor, Kuala Langat, Kuala Selangor, Sabak Bernam, Selayang, Sepang, Subang Jaya and Shah Alam - Smart Selangor Bus, a free bus service operated by Rapid Bus funded by Selangor State Government.
- Penang - CAT Penang Bus, a free bus service funded by Penang State Government.
- Seberang Jaya, Penang - Free weekday bus operated by Rapid Penang from Sunway Business Centre in Seberang Jaya to Bayan Lepas targeting industrial area workforce namely Bridge Express Shuttle Transit.
- Johor Bahru District, Johor - Free bus services namely Bas Muafakat Johor operated by Causeway Link & Maju Bus Company.
- Malacca City, Malacca - Free bus service under Panaroma Melaka around Melaka Sentral Bus Station and Malacca General Hospital.
Netherlands
- Dordrecht – bus and ferry, some Saturdays at the end of each year.
- Noordwijk/Oegstgeest – Leiden Transferium – The Hague, express bus, running on weekdays during daytime, free of charge as a test during 2004; it was intended for commuters working in The Hague and living in Leiden or beyond who would otherwise travel by car to the Hague, to promote parking at the Transferium and continuing the journey by bus; the aim was to reduce road traffic congestion between Leiden and The Hague. The test was paid by the province of South Holland. It was discontinued in 2005.
- Renesse, Netherlands – free bus services in the area
- Amsterdam – Free ferry service on IJ operated by GVB.
New Zealand
- Hamilton CBD.
- Invercargill, New Zealand - previously had various fare free services.
Russia
- Moscow, Russia -
- * Bus stops near Auchan shopping center are near RightBank street and Sevastopolsky lane +Mytyshi. Thus, the buses half-officially are used by local residents and offices and even have unofficial "A" number and two more form "Real" shopping centers. At 2020 available at 12 hypermarkets and Auchan city + 1 if you buy something at Leroy Merlin
- * Sadovod +South gate trade area: 6:00-16:00-18:00 free buses to four metro stations each and between the markets. These routes don't have intermediate stops except "Bird market" and stop near Mega trade center
- * Stankolit platform area serviced by a variety of free routes because this area is not accessible except by long walking by foot on daytime from November 2002.
- * During Easter Sundays, the Sunday before and after, buses and some trolleys to cemeteries are free but intermediate stops are cancelled unless they are high passengers turnover, park-and-ride stops, or if there is another cemetery. The system is criticised because it strongly lowers service on regular routes and religions. In Zelenograd district with specific: the routes do not change are free to cemetery and to riders originating at cemeteries, otherwise requires a fare
- Moscow Oblast + Vladimirskaya oblast
- * Trains on Big Circle Railway road are free at most times due to very low traffic, the fare is required only on some stops that transferring with main directions from the Moscow and part on Kazanskaya railway or Yaroslavskaya railway unless the conductor goes in the train. Exemptions on this road restricted, horewer about half of this circle is 100% free. In Vladimirskaya oblast exemptions valid 90 km-158 km-Sanino for this and 40 km-Alexandrov to Moscow/MO. Students 50% discount valid in Moscow for all students, but no ISIC accepted, in Vladimirskaya oblast only if purchased two way ticket
- * Buses to Globus in Pushkino and Podolsk allow to ride about 20 km for free, and return with small purchase required. Many routes have unique track, and even one unique stops. In additional they have one route from 2 metro stations to Krasnogorsk shop
- Football
In additional booking for specialized trains is available.
- * may book
- * must use the assigned trains for free. The most popular trains like Red Arrow and Sapsan remains paid.
- * must register at police/MFC/hotel with 24 hours at 2017, 72 hours at 2018 from arriving if you stay for 2 nights in single city
- * you may book two tickets for one match but from/to the same city, or book only one. The total number is unlimited
- * FAN must check at turnstile and keep the football ticket for return from the game and don't foul
- * these trains go without stops
- * Aeroexpress trains in Moscow are free with game day ± 2 days any time but only twice to one Fan ID. The full-stops trains to DME, bus 911 to VKO and SVO-SPARTAK shuttle don't drain the counter but free on the game day only.
- Voronezh, Russia - buses with letter "H" were free to anybody and go by their own network and timetable
Taiwan
- Taichung, Taiwan – free bus service within the first 10 kilometers for Easycard or iPASS users
Thailand
- Bangkok, Thailand – free bus service on 800 buses along 73 routes.
United Kingdom
- Wales: TrawsCymru bus services are free nationally on weekends. Routes served include:
- *T1
- *T1C
- *T1S
- *T2
- *T3
- *T4
- *T5
- *T6
- *T9
- *T12
- *T14
- Greater Manchester:
- *Bolton Metroshuttle bus services link Bolton railway station, bus station and town centre leisure attractions.
- *Manchester Metroshuttle bus services operate every 5 minutes on route 1 and every 10 minutes on routes 2 and 3. These busses operate in Manchester city centre between 07:00 and 19:00. Three different routes connect Piccadilly, Victoria, Oxford Road, Deansgate and Salford Central railway stations, Shudehill Interchange, Chorlton Street and Piccadilly Gardens bus and coach terminal, Metrolink tram stations and National Car Parks with other areas of the city.
- *Oldham Metroshuttle links Oldham Mumps tram stop with the bus station, sports centre and shopping centre.
- *Stockport Metroshuttle links Stockport railway station with the bus station, supermarkets and leisure attractions. This service was formerly known as the Stockport Shuttlebus, but was rebranded in line with other zero-fare bus services in Greater Manchester.
- Greenhithe, North Kent - Free bus service to the Bluewater Shopping Centre; users must have a valid train ticket which names Greenhithe station.
- Ipswich – A free shuttle bus service runs on a circular route around the town centre linking the site of the former County Council headquarters to the replacement building.
- London
- *All Transport for London buses run a free service around Heathrow Airport.
- *Heathrow Express and TfL Rail services between Heathrow Central, Terminal 4 and Terminal 5 are free
- *The Woolwich Free Ferry provides a route for cars and pedestrians across the River Thames between Woolwich and North Woolwich in East London.
- Oxford - A 15-seater minibus is run by Geo, an American Immigration Corporation to take passengers on the half-hour journey between Oxford railway station and Campsfield House detention centre near the village of Kidlington and Oxford Airport. It runs every hour, and then every two hours, all afternoon, 7 days a week.
- Reading – Free shuttle between Reading station and Thames Valley Park
- South Yorkshire, in the two locations of Sheffield and Rotherham, zero-fare city/town centre circular routes operated under the FreeBee branding, the first in the city of Sheffield was launched in 2007, and after its success the scheme was rolled out to Rotherham in 2009. Both were funded by the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive.
- * Rotherham – FreeBee runs from Rotherham Interchange every 12 minutes from 08:00 to 18:00 Monday to Saturday.
- * Sheffield – FreeBee ran around the city centre, Monday to Saturday, every seven minutes. The service ended in 2014 due to budget constraints.
- Southampton – City-link bus between Southampton Central station, Westquay shopping centre and Town Quay for the Isle of Wight ferry services. It is operated for Southampton City Council by Bluestar.
- West Yorkshire, four of the larger settlements covered by the West Yorkshire Metro have zero-fare bus services which are jointly funded by West Yorkshire Metro, local councils and private companies. The services are branded either FreeTownBus or FreeCityBus, depending on whether the location is a town or city :
- * Bradford - FreeCityBus - a free loop service around the city centre.
- * Dewsbury - FreeTownBus - the latest FreeTownBus in West Yorkshire, it was launched in December 2009.
- * Huddersfield - FreeTownBus - a free loop around the town centre operated by Tiger Blue.
- * Wakefield - FreeCityBus - free circular route around the city centre.
United States
- Amherst, Massachusetts – Free buses servicing the Amherst area. The buses runs as part of the PVTA bus system have no fare for Five College students as well as the general public. These buses include the 30, 31, 33, 34, 35, 36, 38, 39, 45, and 46. The B43 and R29 buses, which also service the Five College system, are run by Valley Area Transit Company and Springfield Area Transit Company, respectively, and use the standard PVTA fares for the general public. However, during academic semesters, Five College student IDs are accepted as a form of payment.
- Ann Arbor, Michigan – free bus services between University of Michigan campuses and student housing. Note that most large universities provide a similar kind of bus service. The city bus service, the , is free for students, faculty, and staff of the University of Michigan. The AATA also runs a service called which runs between downtown and campus area and is currently free to ride. While individual rides are “free”, typically students pay a transportation service fee as part of their tuition and fee charges.
- Baltimore, Maryland – ; 4 routes of up to ≈ crossing city center in various directions.
- Bennington, Vermont – the Green Mountain Express Emerald Line is a fare-free route between there and Wilmington operating weekday afternoons, morning trips are run in collaboration with the Southeast Vermont Transit’s “MOOver”.
- Boston –
- * Silver Line route from the Boston General Edward Lawrence Int'l Logan Airport to South Station.
- * The Massport shuttle buses provide a free connection with various areas relatively close to the Boston Logan International Airport including: MBTA Blue Line, MBTA Commuter Boat, and the Rental Car Center.
- Buffalo, New York – Free Metro Rail transit from Special Events Station to Theater Station.
- Charlottesville, Virginia – A free motorized trolley links the campus of the University of Virginia to the downtown area.
- Corvallis, Oregon – Transit system is entirely fareless.
- Dallas, Texas –
- *McKinney Avenue Transit Authority heritage trolley transports riders along a three-mile stretch from downtown to uptown McKinney Avenue seven days a week, 365 days a year.
- *Dallas Area Rapid Transit operates the D-Link, a free shuttle bus that provides service to various attractions in Downtown Dallas.
- Denver, Colorado – Free 16th Street Mall shuttle bus downtown between Civic Center and Union Station. To replace an aging fleet of iconic hybrid buses, in 2015, RTD ordered a new BYD fleet, expecting delivery by the end of 2016 but fleet delivery was delayed into summer 2017. In spring 2014, RTD added a new rush-hour MetroRide route between Union Station and Civic Center Station along 18th and 19th Streets. From 6-9AM and 3-6PM, the 60-foot articulated buses run at 5-minute intervals.
- East Palo Alto, California has a free East Palo Alto Community Shuttle
- Houston, Texas – The 412 Greenlink Downtown Circulator Bus uses environmentally friendly Compressed Natural Gas buses to provide free weekday service to major office buildings and free weekend service and evening service Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights serving the Theater District and Toyota Center sports venue.
- Hyannis, Massachusetts – CCRTA operates a free shuttle loop on Main Street and many of the downtown beaches during July and August each year.
- Jacksonville, Florida – Jacksonville Transportation Authority operates a free people mover system in Downtown Jacksonville called the Skyway.
- Kansas City, Missouri – RideKC operates a free streetcar in Downtown Kansas City called the KC Streetcar
- Lancaster, California – Antelope Valley Transit Authority offers free rides to all riders who are senior citizens, disabled, active military, and veterans, on all its local fixed routes buses.
- Logan, Utah – The Cache Valley Transit District serves the City of Logan, Utah and the Cache County area based on a sales tax. Special rides are available to the disabled and extra buses available for during rush periods for university and public education students. Limited service Saturdays; no service Sundays.
- Long Beach, California – The “Passport” shuttles are free within the downtown area
- Maui County, Hawaii, pop 128,000: Maui Bus, on the Kahului and Wailuku Loop, plus the Lahaina Villager Routes.
- Miami, Florida – Miami Metromover is a free people mover in Downtown Miami.
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin - The Hop is a 2.1-mile trolley system in Milwaukee that is free for the inaugural year of service.
- Minneapolis, Minnesota –
- *Select Metro Transit buses are free along Nicollet Mall between the Convention Center and Washington Ave.
- *The University of Minnesota Campus Shuttle has 4 routes that serve the Minneapolis and nearby St. Paul campuses. The system carried more than 3.5 million riders in 2008.
- Monterey County, California – During the summer, the Monterey-Salinas Transit operates four free routes called the “MST Trolley”, each one going around the downtown areas of one of the four main cities: Monterey, Carmel, Pacific Grove, and Salinas.
- Mountain Village, Colorado – Free cable car to Telluride and shuttle bus.
- New Haven, Connecticut – The is a free transit bus that operates between Union Station and Downtown. In addition to the train station, the bus also stops at various parking facilities, Gateway Community College, and the New Haven Green at the center of Downtown. The bus runs every 20 minutes from 6 am to 10 pm.
- New York City, New York and vicinity:
- * The Staten Island Railway is free of charge to riders originating and terminating at stations other than St. George or Tompkinsville.
- * The Staten Island Ferry operates between Whitehall, Manhattan and St. George, Staten Island 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Fare collection ended in 1997.
- * The Airtrain at JFK Airport is free within the terminal loop, but requires a fare at the Jamaica and Howard Beach stations.
- * The Airtrain at Newark Liberty International Airport is free, except to and from the Amtrak/New Jersey Transit station. In that case, the fare is included in the price of the train ticket. New Jersey Transit monthly pass holders must pay an extra $5.50 to ride AirTrain, unless they set EWR as the source or destination stop for their pass.
- Oakland, California – There is a free Broadway shuttle that operates along Broadway in downtown.
- Orlando, Florida and vicinity:
- * There is a free downtown circulator called the Lynx Lymmo, also a rare example of free BRT service.
- * Disney Transport provides free bus, ferry, and monorail service within Walt Disney World.
- Palo Alto, California operates two bus lines, the Embarcadero Shuttle and the Crosstown shuttle. Both are free.
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania offers free transportation between terminals A through E of Philadelphia International Airport on the SEPTA Airport Line trains, which run every 30 minutes. Transportation on this train into Center City Philadelphia and other destinations is available but requires payment. Transportation between the airport terminals can also be accomplished by using concourses and moving walkways and through two free shuttle bus routes operated by US Airways.
- Phoenix, Arizona – offers the FLASH Forward and FLASH Back routes from Arizona State University around Tempe, Arizona as well as Orbit routes which serve Tempe.
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania offers free public transit on its light rail lines within the downtown area—six stations from Allegheny to First Avenue.
- Portland, Oregon – From 1975 until 2010, all transit service was free within “Fareless Square”, a 330 square-block zone that encompassed all of downtown Portland, and from 2010 to September 2012 it remained free for light rail and streetcar service, renamed the “Free Rail Zone”.
- Salt Lake City, Utah — Bus and light-rail service is free within the downtown Free Fare Zone.
- San Francisco, California – A free shuttle is operated between San Francisco State University and Daly City BART.
- San Jose, California – The Santa Clara VTA bus route 60 is free when boarded at San Jose International Airport and connects to VTA light rail, the Santa Clara Caltrain station, and the future Milpitas BART station. However, it costs normal fare when boarded anywhere other than at the airport.
- Savannah, Georgia – Chatham Area Transit operates the dot Express Shuttle on a 12-stop loop throughout the historic district. In addition the city offers the fare free River Street Streetcar and Savannah Belles Ferry to Hutchinson Island.
- Seattle, Washington – Metro Transit buses were free from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm in Downtown Seattle until September 29, 2012.
- Springfield, Missouri - Missouri State University operates the Bear Line which is free to the public.
- State College, Pennsylvania – CATA runs four routes that offer bus service between the Penn State campus and downtown State College, an addition to two regional service routes that do not charge fare if they are only traveling across campus.
- Tacoma, Washington – Tacoma Link light rail operated by Sound Transit has no fare. It runs from Tacoma Dome Station into Downtown Tacoma and is anticipated to remain fare-free until 2022.
- Walnut Creek, California – County Connection operates the Route 4, a free shuttle that serves Downtown Walnut Creek.
- Yountville, California – A free shuttle is operated by Napa Vine around Yountville.