Low-cost travel

Find lower-cost, sustainable options to help you travel in and around Portsmouth or further afield.

Walking is a free and easy way to be active, stay healthy and get around the city. Portsmouth is an ideal city for walking as it is mostly flat. It also has the highest walk to school rate in the country, with over 70% of children walking to school every day. Find out more about walking in Portsmouth and road safety for children

Cycling is a low-cost way to get around. If you haven’t got a bike, there are a number of second-hand shops and bicycle recycling projects in Portsmouth where you can find reasonably priced, second-hand bikes, including:

• Portsmouth Cycle Exchange in Southsea
• Community Cycle Centre in Milton

Many of the community bike centres offer affordable repairs, to keep you on the road too.

If you already have bike, make sure it’s safe to ride. Visit the Bike Doctor for a free bicycle health check. Read more and find dates for Bike Doctor clinics.

Find quieter cycle routes around the city

Free bus travel for under 15’s throughout August

Families in Portsmouth can make the most of the school holidays with free bus travel for children aged 0 to 15 throughout August. The offer applies on local services operated by Stagecoach, First Solent and Pompey Link, meaning all bus journeys within the city are free for anyone aged 15 and under during the month.

Bus passes

Depending on your circumstances, you may be able to get free bus travel with an older persons or disabled persons bus pass when your journey starts in Portsmouth, or get cheaper travel on buses, trains and coaches with a range of railcards.

• If you are disabled, you can apply for a Disabled Persons Bus Pass for free travel any time
• Portsmouth residents over the age of 66, can apply for an Older Persons Bus Pass, for free travel from 9am to 2am weekdays and all-day weekends and bank holidays. Time restrictions are lifted if you can show proof that you’re attending a medical appointment at Queen Alexandra Hospital or St Mary’s Community Health Campus
• If you need someone to help you when you use public transport, you can apply for a companion bus pass, which means a companion can travel with you free of charge in Portsmouth.

Pompey bus ticket range

In partnership with local bus companies, First Solent and Stagecoach South, the council has developed three bus tickets designed for people travelling at night, people travelling alone or as part of a group, or people that want a ticket for multiple journeys over 90 minutes.

The tickets can be used on all bus routes in Portsmouth, with the aim of providing an easy and affordable option to help everyone get to and from work and around the city.

• The Pompey Night Owl – available from 7pm until 4am
• The PompeyHoppa90 – available for 90 minutes of bus travel, activated when you start your first journey
• The Pompey Group ticket – a day ticket for unlimited travel for up to five people, including five adults, five children, or any mix of five people

Discounted bus tickets for young people

The Pompey Young Person ticket range offers child fares for young people up to age 19, and includes single tickets, return tickets, day passes, 7-day passes, and more. The discounted ticket options are available on both First Bus Solent and Stagecoach South buses.

More ways to travel cheaply

• National Express offers one-third off the cost of coach tickets with a Young Persons Coachcard, Senior Coachcard, or Disabled Coachcard.
• National Rail has 1/3 off train tickets through a variety of railcards, available for 16-25 year olds, 26-30 year olds, the over 60s, disabled persons, Veterans, two people traveling together, family and friends and members of HM Forces.
• If you get jobseekers allowance or are job hunting and claiming Universal Credit, you may be entitled to a 50% discount on train and bus travel to help you get back into work. Find out more about the scheme and how you can apply at Money Saving Expert
• Job seekers can take advantage of a Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card giving 50% off train travel to boost job searches and help job seekers back to work. Find out whether you are eligible.
• Stagecoach offers 50% off single and return bus rides for those on Job Seekers Allowance, free travel for over 60s and those with certain disabilities, and up to 40% off unlimited tickets for college or university students.

Pompey Link is an on-demand and pre-bookable minibus service linking Paulsgrove and Port Solent, with additional stops at Queen Alexandra Hospital and Cosham Interchange. Book a trip by phone, online, or using the Book a Journey app, and a minibus will pick you up from your nearest bus stop. It’s a shared service, so you might pick up other passengers on the way.

Pompey Link runs Monday to Saturday, from 9am to 7pm. Most single journeys cost £2. Children under 10 and people with concessionary bus passes (an older persons bus pass, a disabled persons bus pass or a companion bus pass) travel for free.

Funded by Portsmouth City Council, the service is operated by Community First and supported through the Portsmouth Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).

• Find out more about Pompey Link

If you get certain benefits and you have to go to hospital for specialist treatment or tests, you may be able to claim a refund of travel costs under the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS). Find out who can apply, what benefits qualify and how you can make a claim.

Some people can get a 50% discount on passes and subscriptions for travel by Voi rental e-scooter or e-bike.

• If you’re on a low-income
• If you’re an asylum seeker,
• If you have a disability,
• If you are 65 and over

20% discounts are also available for military personnel and veterans, NHS staff, Blue Light card holders, and students.

Find out more about all the discounts available and the proof you need to provide on the Voi website.

Portsmouth Park and Ride is an easy and sustainable way to travel into Portsmouth for work or pleasure if you live in the north of the city or further out.

The daily PR1 bus service runs every 15 minutes to The Hard interchange via the city centre. On summer weekends, an additional route operates to Southsea.

Park & ride fares are great value, with flexible ticket options available for frequent travellers. Passengers can hop on and off throughout the day, and tickets can easily be bought either on the bus or via the First Bus app.

Find Portsmouth Park and Ride just off junction 1 of the M275. Learn more on the Portsmouth Park and Ride website.