Santa Bus 2024 Fundraising Total Announced

In the lead up to Christmas, Santa Claus hopped on our illuminated and unmissable open-top Santa Bus to spread festive joy throughout Brighton & Hove.

The Santa Bus travelled 20 routes, over 20 nights across the city to raise money for 12 local charities. Santa was joined by a team of elf-tastic volunteers every evening as thousands of people lined the streets and walked alongside the Santa Bus with Santa waving from the top deck. 

Due to the incredible generosity of local people, a magnificent £36,579 has been raised through nightly bucket collections, location business collection points, and an online Go Fund Me page.

The overall amount of money raised in the last 21 years now totals over £453,579 in support of local charities. Brighton & Hove Buses also contributed £5,835 to the total raised by donating on behalf of every colleague that took part in a company survey.

The £36,579 raised will be evenly split among the 12 chosen Santa Bus charities that includes: Martlets, Chestnut Tree House, Brighton and Hove Museums, Rockinghorse Children's Charity, Amaze, Clock Tower Sanctuary, Fareshare Sussex & Surrey, Together Co, Possability People, East Sussex WRAS Wildlife Rescue, MindOut and Brighton Women’s Centre.  

Ed Wills, Managing Director of Brighton & Hove Buses said:

 “This is an incredible amount of money to raise for local charities in the community we serve. It is an overwhelming display of generosity from local people and those who gave up their time to volunteer. Over the last 21 years, the Santa Bus has become one of the city's most popular and iconic annual events. A huge thank you to everyone who helps to make this happen including the teams of nightly volunteers, local supporting businesses and everybody who comes out to donate and give Santa and his helpers a festive wave." 

Lucy Vallis, Chief Officer of Possability People said: 

“We were delighted to be one of the beneficiaries of the Santa Bus this year. Joining Santa and his elves was an unforgettable experience—from the little boy proudly showing off his 25 stickers to the incredible generosity of the people of Brighton and Hove, who braved the rain to donate.

The Santa Bus truly is a magical way to support local charities, spreading joy and making a real difference. It was especially brilliant for our team, including wheelchair users, to be part of the collecting team this year. A heartfelt thank you to Brighton & Hove Buses for their amazing support to local charities and for making the iconic Santa Bus such a cherished tradition.”

The Santa Bus is an annual event, and we’re already looking forward to taking to the streets again with Santa in December 2025!

Watch our full fundraising announcement here: