Digital PlusBus Ticket Expands Combined Rail and Bus Travel
Rail Delivery Group (RDG), in partnership with Traveline, has introduced a nationwide digital version of the PlusBus ticket, allowing passengers to use a single purchase for both train and local bus travel. The move follows changing customer habits, with more than two thirds of travellers now choosing digital tickets. The update responds to growing interest in simpler ways to combine different types of public transport within one journey.
Previously available only in paper form, PlusBus has now been rolled out as an eTicket across most areas in England, Wales and parts of Scotland after a trial in Yorkshire and Cambridge in 2025. The digital format allows travellers to add bus travel to their rail ticket without needing a separate printed pass. Tickets are bought together through online rail retailers or train operator platforms.
“Our customers asked us for a digital PlusBus ticket that they can use at both ends of their rail journey, and we’ve delivered!"
The ticket provides unlimited travel on participating buses and trams within a selected PlusBus zone, without peak-time restrictions. Travellers receive separate barcodes for the rail and bus parts of the journey when purchasing tickets digitally, removing the need to carry additional paper documents when switching between transport types.
Where the digital PlusBus ticket is accepted
- Over 280 PlusBus zones across England, Wales and parts of Scotland
- Most local buses within each PlusBus travel area
- Many tram services included in PlusBus zones
- Digital barcode accepted alongside National Rail tickets
The wider availability of digital PlusBus may make it easier to explore destinations beyond major railway stations, including local neighbourhoods, cultural sites and regional attractions. Travellers can continue their journey by bus or tram without needing separate purchases, which may help simplify access to areas not directly served by rail connections across many towns and cities.
The digital PlusBus ticket shows how more people now use mobile phones instead of paper tickets when planning journeys. Buying rail and bus travel in one transaction removes the need to keep track of separate tickets and helps organise the journey more easily. As the same barcode can be used across different types of transport, it becomes simpler to combine train travel with local buses or trams on one route.