Kids go free all day every day
Up to three kids aged 11 and under can travel for free on Metro and the Shields Ferry, all day, every day when accompanied by a fare-paying adult.
Kids can also travel free on local bus services operating within County Durham, Tyne & Wear and Northumberland during the school holidays. Dates for the diary:
14 February 2026 - 1 March 2026
3 April 2026 - 19 April 2026
23 May 2026 - 31 May 2026
18 July 2026 - 20 August 2026
For full terms and conditions visit northeast-ca.gov.uk/kidsgofree
How do you take up the offer?
The fare-paying adult must be aged 18 or over and in possession of a valid ticket or validated smartcard. The accompanying children don’t need to have a ticket.
When using stations with gates speak to a member of our station customer service team who will provide you with access into and out of the station using the wide access gate. For safety reasons please do not attempt to use the gate without staff assistance at the same time as the child or children you’re travelling with.
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Metro Activity Booklet
Download our activities booklet to keep the kids entertained. The best place for days out inspiration is our Instagram page or our blog.
Tiny Toon Competition
Last year (2025), we ran a competition where children across Tyne and Wear had the opportunity to design carriage cards to be featured on advertisement space on our Metro carriages and inside the Tiny Toon replica Metro train that was at NE1's Tiny Toon pop-up play village in Newcastle from 21 July - 31 August 2025.
We had some fantastic entries and we would like to thank schools and pupils for taking the time to enter our competition. The winning entries artwork is attached below.
The winners of this year's Tiny Toon drawing competition are:
- Freddie, aged 7 from West Jesmond Primary School
- Mikael, aged 6 from West Jesmond Primary School
- Amelie, aged 9 from Rockcliffe First School
- Daisy, aged 7 from St Mary's Catholic Primary School
We filmed our Kids Go Free advert in a number of locations across Tyne and Wear. You might have spotted some of your favourite places to visit: Great North Museum: Hancock, Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens, Novellos restaurant, our very own Shields Ferry and of course Sandhaven Beach South Shields.