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.

For a list of city-wide zero-fare networks, see Free public transport

For free public transport for certain types of passenger (while others pay a fare), see Free travel pass

Australia

• Adelaide, Australia has free travel on the Glenelg tram between South Terrace and the Hindmarsh Entertainment Centre and between Brighton Road and Jetty Road in Glenelg.^[1] A free bi-directional loop route 99C and 99A also operates in the CBD, alongside the 98C and 99A (formerly called the Adelaide Connector), which operated in the CBD and North Adelaide.^[1][2][3] In addition, free community bus services operate in the suburbs of Glenelg and Port Adelaide. Many years ago, a city service known as 99B used to ply King William street from North Terrace to South terrace, but this was terminated after the Tram extension.

During the fringe festival and Clipsal 500 event, there is a limited free bus service in the CBD.

• Brisbane, Australia has free bus trips around "The Loop" in the CBD on two routes mirroring each other, varying only because of Brisbane's one-way street grid.^[4] The service is smaller than that of other cities.
• Manly, New South Wales, Australia – Four routes of free "Hop, Skip & Jump" minibus services throughout the municipality.^[5]
• Mandurah, Western Australia, Australia - a free shuttle service operates between the local railway station and the eastern forsehore in the city centre.
• Melbourne in Australia has a free tram around the city center, and a free bus to popular tourist attractions. Both of these connect to other public transport. Tram travel within the Free Tram Zone, which covers the city center, the Queen Victoria Market and Docklands, is also free. Free public transport is sometimes offered on major holidays such as Christmas and New Year's Eve.
• Newcastle, New South Wales in Australia has a free bus service that operates in the CBD area between 7:30 am and 6:00 pm.
• Perth, Western Australia has free bus and train trips within the city centre (the "Free Transit Zone"), including four high-frequency Central Area Transit (CAT) 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.
• Sydney in Australia Free downtown city bus loop, also offers occasional free public transport travel to and from events at particular times, notably New Year's Eve celebrations in Sydney CBD, or to ANZAC War Memorial Services for veterans. The rationale is a mix of traffic reduction and cultural recognition.
  • The Sydney council of Willoughby also has a daily free bus loop route that connects the St Leonards railway station with the Artarmon industrial area..
  • The same council also has five routes that operate on one different day of the week connecting different suburbs to a convenient shopping centre.
  • Ryde City council provides a free local bus service.^[6]
• Willoughby, Sydney The Loop - a free bus that operates a different circular route each weekday (Mon-Fri) every 45 minutes.^[7]
• Wollongong has a free bus loop in both directions connecting the university, station, mall and beach, running at intervals of 10 or 20 minutes.^[8]

Belgium

• Ghent – free night bus services (weekends only).
• Leuven – free night bus services (weekends only).

Canada

• Calgary, Canada – Free C-Train light rail transit within the downtown core (the "7th Avenue Free Fare Zone").
• Halifax, Nova Scotia – Free bus route around the downtown area in summer.^[9]

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.

France

• Calais, France – Free bus called the Balad'in runs from Boulevard La Fayette (or more precicely Jardin-des-Plante, in the town centre) 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 (beach) and 7.02pm (town centre).
• 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 (fr:Silic) in the southern district of Orly.^[10]
• 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 (of red colour) which can be used for free by anyone.

India

• Tirumalai (Tirupati), 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 (MBPJ).
• Ampang, Kajang, Klang and Shah Alam - Smart Selangor Bus, a free bus service operated by Rapid Bus funded by Selangor State Government.
• George Town, Penang - Free bus operated by Rapid Penang running on from Weld Quay to Komtar every 20 minute namely Central Area Transit (CAT) and Pulau Tikus Loop (PTL).
• Seberang Jaya, Penang - Free weekday bus operated by Rapid Penang from Sunway City in Seberang Jaya to Bayan Lepas targeting industrial area workforce namely Bridge Express Shuttle Transit (BEST).
• Johor Bahru, Johor - Free bus services namely Bas Muafakat Johor (Johor Consensus Bus) operated by Causeway Link & Maju Bus Company.

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 (mun. Schouwen-Duiveland), Netherlands – free bus services in the area (in summer only)

New Zealand

• Auckland, New Zealand – a free CBD loop service links the ferry terminus, railway station, universities, theatres, casino, galleries and shopping districts using hybrid electric buses.
• Christchurch, New Zealand – The Shuttle is a zero-fare shuttle service in the inner city.
• Invercargill, New Zealand - previously had various fare free services.

Russia

• Moscow, Russia -
  • Bus stops near Auchan shopping center are near RightBank (Pravoberezhnaya) street and Sevastopolsky lane. Thus, the buses half-officially are used by local residents and offices and even have unofficial "A" number.
  • Aviapark trade center: 8:00-24:00 three routes to nearest metro stations with all stops and low intervals and one additional bus to residents (20 min interval)
  • Sadovod +South gate trade area: 6:00-16:00-18:00 free buses to four metro stations each and between the markets (To "Moscow" trade center too). These routes don't have intermedate stops except "Bird market" and stop near Mega trade center (about 15:00)
  • 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 (tram service terminated, low train service by mornings and everings).
  • During Easter Sundays, the Sunday before and after, buses and some trolleys to cemeteries are free but intermidate stops are cancelled unless they are high passengers turnover, park-and-ride stops, or if there is another cemetery (some unique track routes keep all stops). The system is criticised because it strongly lowers service on regular routes and religions. In Zelenograd district with specific: the routes do not change (except discarding peak hours two-stops branch on route 1 and 2) are free to cemetery and to riders originating at cemeteries (because cemeteries are terminus stops at all routes), otherwise requires a fare
• Moscow Oblast
  • Trains on Big Circle Railway road are free at most times due to very low traffic (3 to 6 pairs per day), 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 (penalty fare does not apply, the cash offices are the exceptions on this road).
  • Buses to Globus (hypermarket) in Pushkino (earlier to Shelkovo, two routes were diverted later) 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 city). In additional they have one route from 2 metro stations to Krasnogorsk shop (shared with Leroy Merlin)
• Voronezh, Russia - buses with letter "H" (n) are free to anybody and go by their own network and timetable

Thailand

• Bangkok, Thailand – free bus service on 800 buses along 73 routes .

United Kingdom

• Cardiff – The Free b free shuttle bus circles the city centre.^[11]
• Chester - A free bus service operates between the railway station and the city centre
• 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 City Centre of Manchester/Salford between 07:00 and 19:00. Three different routes connect Piccadilly, Victoria, Oxford Road, Deansgate and Salford Central railway stations, Shudehill, Chorlton Street and Piccadilly Gardens bus and coach terminal, Metrolink tram stations and NCP 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 railway 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.^[12]
• London
  • All Transport for London buses run a free service around Heathrow Airport in the west of the city.
  • 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 railway station and Thames Valley Park^[13]
• South Yorkshire, in the two locations of Sheffield and Rotherham, zero-fare city/town centre circular routes operate 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 are 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 runs around the city centre, Monday to Saturday, every seven minutes.
• Southampton – City-link bus between Southampton Central railway 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 (Leeds's FreeCityBus service replaced by LeedsCityBus in 2011, which requires fare-paying or multi-journey tickets for travel):
  • 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 K-Line Travel
  • Wakefield - FreeCityBus - free circular route around the city centre

United States

• 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 AATA, is free for students, faculty, and staff of the University of Michigan. The AATA also runs a service called "the Link" which runs between downtown and campus area and is currently free (for everyone) to ride. While individual rides are "free," typically students pay a transportation service fee as part of their tuition and fee charges.
• Baltimore, Maryland - Charm City Circulator; 4 routes of up to c. 5 km (3.1 mi) 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".
• 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.
• 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.
• Denver, Colorado – Free 16th Street Mall shuttle bus downtown.
• East Palo Alto, California has a free East Palo Alto Community Shuttle
• 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. (With id)
• 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 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 (west of Alamitos Ave.)
• Maui County, Hawaii, pop 128,000: Maui Bus, on the Kahului and Wailuku Loop, plus the Lahaina Villager Routes.^[14]
• Miami, Florida – Miami Metromover is a free people mover in Downtown Miami.
• 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.^[15]
• 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.^[16]
• New Haven, Connecticut - The Union Station Shuttle 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 or 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,^[17] 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 within their downtown areas.
• 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 (but not buses), renamed the "Free Rail Zone".
• Salt Lake City, Utah — Bus and light-rail service is free within the downtown Free Fare Zone.^[18]
• San Francisco, California - A free shuttle is operated between San Francisco State University and Daly City BART.
• San Jose, California – The Santa Clara VTA runs a free bus in downtown San Jose connecting the San Jose Diridon Station with San Jose State University. This bus is called DASH. There's also a free bus that connects VTA light rail, the Santa Clara Caltrain station, and the San Jose Mineta International Airport. This bus is route 10, called the Free Flyer.
• 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.^[19]
• Seattle, Washington – Metro Transit buses were free from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm in Downtown Seattle (the "Ride Free Area") until September 29, 2012.^[20][21]
• 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 1.6 miles (2.6 km) from Tacoma Dome Station into Downtown Tacoma and is anticipated to remain fare-free until 2022.^[22]
• 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.

References