In Portsmouth, bus travel is free for all passengers every weekend in September 2026, according to Travel Portsmouth, the City Council service. The offer runs from 12:01 a.m. on Saturday until midnight on Sunday.

It applies to people boarding a bus within the city’s administrative boundary, on First Solent, Stagecoach and Pompey Link services. No ticket is needed; passengers tell the driver where they are getting off.

Park and Ride is not included. For routes that leave the city, the boarding stop is the test, not the destination. Travellers are advised to check the eligible-route list on the council page.

The initiative is part of the Bus Service Improvement Plan. Effects on traffic and passenger numbers can be measured after September, not in advance.

On 20 September 2026 the 19–20 weekend is under way; 26–27 September remain. An older page on the same site lists 2025 dates: this account uses the announcement for September 2026.

It is not national British transport and not a Monday-to-Friday giveaway. Only this month’s weekends, with boarding in Portsmouth.

The source is the council’s official page, not a generic BSIP hub.

Image: Lewis Clarke, Portsmouth Harbour bus station, CC BY-SA 2.0, geograph.org.uk / Wikimedia Commons.

Source consulted: Take the bus for FREE every weekend in September — Travel Portsmouth.