All Aboard With BetterPoints As Bradford's Kids Ride Free This August

BetterPoints West Yorkshire marks Yorkshire Day, Saturday 1st August, with a bold new campaign. It rewards Bradford residents for exploring the region by bus and train during the school holidays.

All Aboard! begins on Yorkshire Day itself, Saturday 1st August, giving Bradford residents the chance to start earning BetterPoints.

The timing of the campaign couldn't be better. This August, every 5 to 15-year-old in England travels free on participating buses under the Government's Great British Summer Savings scheme, with no pass, no registration needed.

All Aboard! runs throughout August and spans all five West Yorkshire districts: Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield. The summer holidays become a county-wide family adventure, powered by public transport.

The free BetterPoints app, launched earlier this year, rewards people for making healthier and greener travel choices. Bus and train journeys earn points alongside walking, wheeling and cycling.

The summer campaign sees a treasure-trail of 25 geolocated bonus locations earn extra rewards for people who visit them. In Bradford, that means Ilkley Lido, Saltaire, East Riddlesden Hall, National Science and Media Museum and Bradford Industrial Museum — from the UNESCO heritage of Saltaire to the moorland edge at Ilkley.

Weekly themes like Wild West Yorkshire, City Explorer and Art & Nature will spotlight fantastic family days out in different parts of the region, and bonus points are available all month. By recording your trips to popular destinations, you will automatically earn bonus BetterPoints. The more locations you visit, the bigger the bonus you can receive. Weekly prize draws and a grand prize will hand out hundreds of pounds in rewards to people taking part via the app.

Jack Windle, Chief Sustainable Transport Officer at BetterPoints, said:

“BetterPoints West Yorkshire is already rewarding thousands of people across the region for making small changes to how they travel. As a family, exploring West Yorkshire costs less than you think, especially with free bus travel for children. This campaign celebrates some of the region's best spots, and rewards people for visiting them.”

The app rewards residents for choosing to walk, wheel, cycle or use public transport instead of driving. It's already used across the region and beyond to record and reward everyday journeys. The app is also available in Sheffield and the East Riding of Yorkshire.

Residents can download the BetterPoints West Yorkshire app for free by searching 'BetterPoints' in Google Play or the App Store, or visit westyorks.betterpoints.uk for more information. Sign up ahead of the 1st August launch to maximise your chances of winning in the prize draws.

Funded by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority as a pilot, the BetterPoints app is free to download, and the scheme is open to anyone who lives, works or studies in Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds or Wakefield.