metrobus tickets: prices, validity and how to buy
find all the information you need about metrobus tickets and how to buy them
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ticket validity
Tickets for metrobus follow First Bus’s fare structure and most tickets for First Bus services can also be used on metrobus. BristolRider tickets are also accepted. What’s more, all metrobus services operate within the Bristol Zone. Simple!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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Yes. English concessionary bus passes (‘older person’s’ and ‘disabled person’s’) are accepted on all metrobus services.
There’s no need for a separate ticket, just present your pass to the driver as you do on a regular bus.
You can use your pass to travel on any metrobus service Monday to Friday from 09:00 – 04:00 the next day and any time on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
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Children up to the age of 4 travel free.
Children between the ages of 5 and 15 travel for around half the price of an adult. Please visit the Fares page for further information.
ticket prices
Regular First Bus Bristol Zone tickets and Tap On, Tap Off are accepted on all metrobus services. Below is a list of most common tickets.
metrobus is a buy before you board service. You cannot buy tickets on board these services, except when using Tap On, Tap Off. Visit the link below for more information
Filter by passenger type:
| Ticket name | Adult | Student/young person (16-21) | Child (5-15) | Group (up to five people) |
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| Single One journey. Available to buy on the First Bus App, Travelwest Travelcards, iPoints and Tap On, Tap Off (Adult only). You can buy multiple singles in one transaction for convenience, simply increase the quantity on ticket selection. |
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| 2-Trip Any two trips in one day. Available to buy on the First Bus App and Tap On, Tap Off (Adult only). |
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| Day Unlimited trips for one day. Available to buy on First Bus App, Travel Shops, iPoints, Travelwest Travelcards, and Tap On, Tap Off (Adult only). |
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Valid for up to five people of any age from 9.30am Mon-Fri or all day Sat-Sun & Public Holidays. Only from the First Bus App. |
| Week Unlimited journeys for 7 days. Available to buy on First Bus App, First Bus website, Travel Shops, iPoints, and the Travelwest Travelcard. |
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| Month Unlimited journeys for a calendar month. Available to buy on First Bus App, First Bus website, Travel Shops, iPoints, and the Travelwest Travelcard. You could save on your monthly ticket by subscribing to First Unlimited. Find out more about the Unlimited ticket. |
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| Year Unlimited journeys for a calendar year. Available to buy on First Bus App, First Bus website and Travel Shops. |
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| BristolRider Day Multi-operator ticket, press on the title to find out more. Available to buy from Travel Shops, iPoints, and Travelwest Travelcards. AvonRider also accepted. |
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Group tickets are valid for up to five people of any age at all times and on all days |
| BristolRider Week Multi-operator ticket, press on the title to find out more. Available to buy from Travel Shops, iPoints, and Travelwest Travelcards. AvonRider also accepted. |
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- English concessionary bus passes (‘older person’s’ and ‘disabled person’s’) are accepted on all metrobus services
- Children up to the age of 4 travel free with fare paying adults
how to buy
with so many ways to do it, buying tickets for metrobus is a breeze…
metrobus is a cashless service
all tickets must be purchased prior to boarding, except when using Tap On, Tap Off. This makes boarding up to five times faster, for quicker journeys!
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iPoints
All metrobus stops have an iPoint at the stop, or nearby, where you can purchase all available tickets for metrobus services as well as many tickets that can be used on other services. Purchases from the iPoint must be made with a bank card or contactless NFC (such as Apple Pay).
If you have a travelwest Travelcard (see below as well as FAQs to find out how to get one), you can use the iPoint to top-up. You can also use the iPoint to collect tickets purchased online from the travelwest site using the side reader (allow two hours before attempting collection).
Tap On, Tap Off
Tap On, Tap Off uses contactless payments to cap our adult bus fares so you’ll never pay more than £6 a day or £23 per week, no matter how many journeys you make. Just tap as you get on and off the bus.
Payments are accepted on VISA, Mastercard, Apple Pay (now with Express Mode) and Google Pay.
| capped prices | First Bus & metrobus |
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| 1 trip | £2 |
| 2 trips | £3.8 |
| 3 or more trips | £5.8 |
| capped Day price unlimited taps | £6 (Day ticket) |
| capped Week price* unlimited taps | £23.5 |
*Cap is calculated over 7 days (Monday to Sunday). Please note Tap On, Tap Off may not be your cheapest option and customers should consider mTickets, and if travelling frequently Month/Year tickets.
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Tap On, Tap Off uses contactless payments to cap adult bus fares so you’ll never pay more than the Day ticket fare for each day you travel, no matter how many journeys you make. And the great news is, the more you travel across 7 days (Monday to Sunday), the cheaper the days become! Just tap when you get on and off the bus and make sure you tap the same contactless card or device each time. Payments are accepted on VISA, Mastercard, Apple Pay (now with Express Mode) and Google Pay.
You don’t need to choose your ticket type in advance, which is especially useful when you’re not sure how many times you’re going to be using the bus. Tap On, Tap Off covers all First Bus routes in the West of England area, too. For full details of Tap On, Tap Off on First buses, please see the First website.
If you need any other types of ticket, for example Child, Student or Group tickets, these are only available from the iPoints at bus stops and from the First Bus app.
For faster journeys, metrobus will remain a Buy Before You Board and Tap On, Tap Off service, and therefore you will still be unable to purchase tickets from the driver.
Tip: To make sure that the correct account is charged when you pay at a contactless reader, keep the card or device that you want to pay with separate from your other cards or devices.
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With Tap On, Tap Off, no paper tickets are issued – your card or device acts as your ticket instead. To keep track of your spending, click below to visit the transaction portal. Purchases do not show immediately, but your journey will appear on our online portal within a few hours. Once you’ve logged in, you can see which journeys you’ve made and how much you’ve been charged over the past 90 days.
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Not on the bus on metrobus services. metrobus will remain a Buy Before You Board and Tap On, Tap Off service, and therefore tickets will remain unavailable for purchase from the driver. However, you can still use your card or device at any of the iPoints at metrobus stops to buy the usual range of tickets.
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The Tap On, Tap Off system is run by First Bus across all metrobus services, m1, m2, m3 and m3x. For further information, including contact details of who can help if there’s been a problem, please see the First website.
First Bus app
The First Bus app allows you to purchase tickets for use on metrobus and store them within the app. Before each journey, you simply load up the ticket, which generates a QR code for scanning on-bus.
Additionally the app will allow you to journey plan and show you timetables and journey information for all First buses; including all metrobus services.
Learn more and get support for the First Bus app on the First Bus website.
Travelwest travelcard
Tickets purchased from the Travelwest website for the first time are sent to you in the post on a Travelcard. Once you have a Travelcard, you can top it up using the Travelwest site and then collect the tickets at any iPoint using the side reader (allow two hours before attempting collection), or just take it along with you to any iPoint and top it up there.
First’s website
You can purchase tickets for travel on metrobus from First’s website, which are then posted to you.
How to buy a metrobus ticket with cash
First travel shops
You can purchase tickets for travel on metrobus services using cash by visiting the First Travel shop at Bristol Bus Station.
Tickets bought on other First Bus services
2-trip, day or seasonal tickets purchased on other First Bus services, and valid for the Bristol zone, can be used for onward journeys on metrobus
Pre-payment cards
A range of pre-payment cards are available*, which can be topped up with cash at certain locations. The cards can then be used to purchase tickets at iPoints or for Tap On/Tap Off travel. Examples include:
- cashplus.com – allows top up at the Post Office
- suitsmecard.com – allows top up at Paypoint
- hello.pockit.com/lp/prepaid – allows top up at Paypoint
*Disclaimer: We are not affiliated with any of the pre-payment card companies provided above, this list serves only as an example of the types of services available and others may be available to you. This should not be interpreted as an official recommendation and we take no responsibility for any of the services listed. You must use your own judgement when deciding which pre-payment card to use.
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