Travelcards

A Travelcard gives you more freedom to travel by bus in the West of England. You don’t have to carry any cash on you and you can use it on any bus*, including the new metrobus services.

Travelcards are inserted into a slot at iPoints.
  • Cheaper fares than paying with cash
  • No need to carry cash
  • Buy in advance online – click and collect
  • Child, Young person, and Student tickets available
  • Top up at metrobus iPoints
  • Buy for someone else – give the gift of travel

  • When buying tickets online, you’ll be able to collect them at a metrobus iPoint 2 hours later, or on the bus (except First buses and metrobus services) and Bristol Park & Ride sites the following day from 6am (when ordered before 11pm).

  • On all services (except metrobus services) and metrobus iPoints. These tickets become available immediately.

*Available tickets may vary by bus operator.

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Login, register or order a card online How to use and choose tickets First Bristol and Bath and metrobus tickets Multi-Operator Rider Tickets Pay-As-You-Go (epurse) Need help? Contact us

Login, register or order a card online

Have an account? 

Please sign in to the Travelcards portal.

Have a card but no account?

Sign up on our Travelcards portal. Your balance and tickets will not be protected against theft and loss until you register your card.  

Need a card? 

Order one online from our Travelcards portal now or get one from any bus service in the West of England (except First services and metrobus services), First Bristol and Bath travel shop, or an available metrobus iPoint, visit our frequently asked questions for more information.

Did you know you can also use your Travelcard to hire a vehicle from the Co-Wheels Car Club? After you receive your Travelcard, visit co-wheels.org.uk/bristol to register.

How to use and choose tickets

You can top up your Travelcard with different tickets that can be used in different services. But, which one is the best one for your journey and where can you buy it? Have a look below to find out.  If you need more information please have a look at our frequently asked questions before contacting us.

  • When buying tickets online, you’ll be able to collect them at a metrobus iPoint 2 hours later, or on the bus (except First, Stagecoach, and metrobus services) and Bristol Park & Ride sites the following day from 6am (when ordered before 11pm).

  • On all services (except metrobus services) and metrobus iPoints. These tickets become available immediately.

  • Simply hold the card to the machine on the bus. If you have more than one ticket on your card, advise the driver of which ticket you would like to use. If boarding a First bus the machine will automatically select the ticket for you depending on your destination.

First Bristol and Bath and metrobus tickets

The following First Bus products in Adult, Student, Young Person (16-21) and Child can be loaded onto Travelcards:

  • Bath Zone – 5 or 10 trip Single tickets (top up on bus only), Day, Week & Month
  • Bristol Zone – 5 or 10 trip Single tickets, Day (one day ticket at iPoints, or packs of 3 or 5 tickets online), Week & Month
  • West of England Zone – 5 trip Single tickets (top up on bus only), Day (one day ticket at iPoints, or packs of 3 or 5 tickets online), Week & Month

These tickets will be accepted in any First buses in the Bristol Zone, Bath Zone and West of England Zone, including all metrobus services.

Multi-Operator Rider Tickets

Rider Tickets are tickets accepted by all bus operators in a given area. They are valid for travel on the day of issue and up to 2.59am the following morning.

To see the areas covered by these tickets, please visit our online Rider areas map.

The following tickets can be purchased online*, at a metrobus iPoint, and on the bus from the driver (on bus purchase not available on Stagecoach or metrobus services):

*Only Adult tickets can be bought online, you can buy other tickets from the driver. Packs of 3 and 5 are also available online only.

The following tickets can be purchased from the driver and loaded onto your Travelcard on the bus**, except Stagecoach buses, (using cash or Pay-As-You-Go credit):

**Only Adult tickets are available to buy for your Travelcard.

Pay-As-You-Go (epurse)

With Pay-As-You-Go you can buy any available ticket using credit you load onto your Travelcard in advance.

You can top up your Pay-As-You-Go balance by registering your Travelcard at portal.squidcard.com, and collect your credit at a metrobus iPoint, or on any bus services run by the following operators:

  • Faresaver

The services that accept payments with Pay-As-You-Go balance are by the operators listed above and metrobus iPoints.

  • Simply hold your card to the reader on the bus and inform the driver you wish to buy your ticket with Pay-As-You-Go balance.

  • Using Pay-As-You-Go simply place the card on the holder, select which ticket you wish to buy and select pay with sQuid.

    Some bus operators even offer special ‘smart’ discounts for customers using Pay-As-You-Go.

Please be aware that costs and terms of use of tickets are set by operators and we cannot accept responsibility for incorrect or outdated information as unplanned changes may occur.

Need help?

Contact us

Travelwest Travelcards team

For any Travelcard's issues, including the Travelcards portal and lost or stolen cards, please contact the SWSAL helpline. Normal opening hours: 9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday.