Discounted school passes for RBWM residents

Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead Council are offering children living within the Borough the opportunity to purchase a Boost Autumn Term or Annual pass with a £100 discount against the full price to help ease the return-to-school financial burden.  Boost is the name of a suite of tickets promoted by Thames Valley Buses and aimed at young people.

Parents or guardians must apply via email on behalf of their child or young person to receive a discount code which can be used to purchase a discounted pass before 5pm on Friday 28 August. The offer entitles residents to a £100 discount on annual or term passes for residents aged 16 or under. Limited discount codes are available and will be offered to verified residents on a first-come, first-served basis.

To apply, residents must email the following to [email protected]:

• The parent or guardian’s name
• The child(ren)’s names
• Preferred email
• Bus operator (Carousel or Thames Valley Buses only)
• Council tax reference or alternative proof of residence

Once you have received your discount code from RBWM, download the Thames Valley Buses app and choose which ticket you wish to purchase.  If you haven't got an account already, you will need to sign up and set up a payment method.  If you are a parent purchasing a ticket for your child, the ticket can be gifted to them but they will need to have downloaded the Thames Valley Buses app themselves and set up their own account.  All Boost tickets holders need to go through an age verification as explained here.  Don't forget that the code supplied by RBWM must be redeemed on our website by 5pm on Friday 28th August.

The verification process takes about 24-48 hours, and once that is complete the ticket can be validated.  Remember that the term tickets will not be accepted on buses until 1st September, but an annual ticket is available as soon as it is validated.

There are three versions of Boost term or annual ticket available depending on the coverage needed, as shown below.  Our school passes are available to use on our bus services at weekends and during holidays to make them even better value.  The Autumn term ticket is valid from 1st September 2026 until 31 December 2026, whilst the annual ticket is valid for 365 days from the date it is validated (not the date of purchase).

simplyMaidenhead - discounted price for Autumn term £120 (usually £220), discounted price for Annual £530 (usually £630)

simplySlough & Windsor - discounted price for Autumn term £120 (usually £220), discounted price for Annual £530 (usually £630)

simplyNetwork - discounted price for Autumn term £181 (usually £281), discounted price for Annual £715 (usually £815)

simplyNetwork tickets are valid on all services operated by Thames Valley Buses and Reading Buses across Slough, Windsor, Maidenhead, Bracknell, Camberley, Wokingham and Reading, except on Route 702 between Langley and London, and any special services eg Football or event services.

Although term and annual passes are safer on our mobile app, we recognise that some children don't carry a smartphone on their journey to school.  In this case we can offer a smartcard alternative.  Please contact [email protected] for more information.