Free weekday evening travel is being offered across the West
Midlands, on all bus services, in the run up to Christmas this
year, in a unique move never seen before on this scale in the
UK.
Between Monday 9th December and Friday 13th
December all of the region's buses will be free to use from 7pm
onwards, with passengers able to simply hop onboard and travel
anywhere across the West Midlands bus network.
The offer, from the Mayor of the West Midlands, delivered in
partnership with all bus operators across the region, has been
designed to encourage people to leave the car at home and avoid
the stress and expense of driving and parking during the busy
holiday period.
Residents and visitors heading out for some late-night Christmas
shopping, a pantomime or to a festive party will not need a
ticket or pass during the free travel period, making it even
easier and cheaper to enjoy an evening out.
Improving bus services and making transport more accessible to
communities across the West Midlands has been a priority for the
Mayor since taking office this year. The free bus travel offer
highlights the importance of bus services, while supporting the
region's shops, restaurants, pubs, theatres and concert
venues.
It is part of a wider programme to attract first time and long
absent users on to the bus network to help tackle congestion on
the region's roads, while supporting the bus industry's recovery
from a fall in passenger numbers and increased fuel and running
costs post-pandemic.
, Mayor of the West Midlands
and WMCA chair, said: “From day one, I said that making the bus
network better for the people of the West Midlands was one of my
top priorities and this offer shows we, in partnership with our
bus operators, are taking this challenge seriously by being the
only region in the country taking these exciting steps to make a
difference.
“So many of us will be heading out for parties, meals, stage
shows and late-night shopping trips this Christmas. But it can be
an expensive time of year, and I hope this free travel offer can
help people save a few pounds, make their money go further and
see the benefit of travelling by bus while visiting their local
high streets and enjoying what our region has to offer this
festive season.”
Staff from TfWM and National Express West Midlands will be on
hand at key city centre locations to help customers and make sure
the scheme runs smoothly during the week.
Antony Goozee, Bus Strategy and Commercial Director for National
Express West Midlands said: “Buses continue to be the most
popular form of public transport here in the West Midlands and we
are committed to working in partnership with the Mayor and
Transport for West Midlands to drive continual improvements for
passengers, while encouraging people to consider ditching their
cars and switching to more sustainable travel choices.
“More people using buses is good for the economy, good for the
environment and good for wider society and this exciting free
travel offer is one of the ways that we're working together to
make it even cheaper and easier for people to travel by bus -
there's never been a better time to get onboard.”
The free weekday bus travel scheme is expected to drive a 30%
increase in bus passenger journeys. The success of the scheme
will be monitored to explore the potential for similar
initiatives in the future.
The initiative is part of the £20 million Passenger Incentive
Programme which is funded from the West Midlands Bus Service
Improvement Plan (BSIP). It aims to encourage people to try bus
travel for the first time or return after a period of absence, to
support a passenger-led recovery of the local bus network.
The Passenger Incentive Programme has already distributed over
200,000 weeks of travel credit, generating nearly 2 million bus
journeys.
