'It's better by bus', green campaign aims to convince Highland travellers
CATCH the bus - that's the message being promoted across the Highlands thi week as part of a campaign to encourage "greener journeys".
Stagecoach North Scotland (Bluebird and Highlands) is joining forces with sustainable transport group Greener Journeys to promote the benefits of bus use through the second annual Catch the Bus Week.
The initiative, which will run for a week from today, will see Stagecoach North Scotland working to encourage local people to ditch their cars in favour of taking the bus.
Throughout the week, Stagecoach will highlight the health, environmental and financial benefits of using the bus more often.
It states that travelling by bus has big health benefits - claiming that it is a third less stressful to commute by bus than by car
Ttaking the bus can help achieve half the Government’s recommended 30 minutes of exercise per day according to its research
Buses also help local economies to thrive by connecting people who don’t have regular access shops and services –25 per cent of all households and nearly 50 per cent of workless households have no access to a car
Young people are more dependent on bus services than any other group with more than 50 per cent of 16-19 year olds being regular bus users, according to the company.
Stagecoach North Scotland is carrying out a programme of promotional activities across the area to encourage people to give the bus a try. These will include:
• Become the ‘Face of Catch the Bus Week’- a call to the public to send in their own stories about why the bus is important to them. The best stories will be published on websites
• Competitions to win prizes including iPads and free tickets
• Competitions inviting children to write poems and draw pictures related to bus travel. Winners will be displayed on buses
• Ticket giveaways at Aberdeen, Elgin and Inverness to encourage local businesses and the public to use the bus more
Steve Walker managing director of Stagecoach North Scotland said: “There are obvious environmental benefits of taking the bus instead of driving – but bus travel can also save people money and reduce the stress of driving and parking in busy towns and cities.
“Catch the Bus Week is a great example of how the industry can work together to encourage greater use of sustainable travel. Ensuring people can access high quality, affordable and sustainable bus travel is a shared responsibility between transport providers and central and local government.
"As bus operators we will continue to work hard in partnership with other parties to make that happen.”
Claire Haigh, chief executive of Greener Journeys said:“Buses provide vital transport links. They connect people to jobs, to education, to retail and leisure opportunities. They help reduce congestion and they are green way to travel. Simply walking to and from the bus stop each day can help you get your ten thousand steps and improve your well-being.
“By providing access to jobs and training, getting customers to places of business, buses support the economy and economic growth. I am delighted to be launching Catch the Bus Week. It is a fantastic way to increase awareness of the many benefits buses bring to our lives and hopefully encourage those who up until now have wary of bus travel to give it a try.”
In 2013 Stagecoach Group was awarded the Carbon Trust Standard for measuring, managing and reducing its global carbon footprint, becoming the first public transport operator to have its boundaries certified outside of Europe.
Research has shown that if everyone switched just one car journey a month to bus that would be one billion fewer car journeys on the roads, and a saving of two million tonnes of CO2
To find out more about what Stagecoach North Scotland is doing to promote ‘Catch the Bus Week’ log on to www.stagecoachbus.com/catchthebus
