Free Sunday buses are again running in Harrogate after the town’s Business Improvement District (BID) agreed to support the initiative on the Harrogate Electrics network, which is operated by Transdev Blazefield subsidiary The Harrogate Bus Company.
The ‘Sunday Freeway’ journeys on those routes, which utilise a fleet of eight battery-electric Volvo 7900e single-deckers, will run throughout January and February. They represent a continuation of the relationship between Transdev and the BID, it being the third time that the organisations have collaborated to provide the free service.
BID Chair and business owner Sara Ferguson (pictured, second from left) says: “This year, we have chosen January and February, which can be quiet months for the retail and hospitality sectors. Harrogate town centre is well worth a visit at any time of year, and we hope that the added incentive of free bus travel will make it even more appealing.”
The BID’s sponsorship of free Sunday bus travel in the run-up to Christmas 2019 saw an increase in passenger numbers on the Harrogate Electrics network of up to 90% compared to the same period a year earlier.
Adds Transdev Blazefield CEO Alex Hornby (pictured, left): “We are delighted that Harrogate BID is able to again work in partnership with us to support our Sunday Freeway on our Harrogate Electrics buses for the first two months of the year.
“As well as reducing emissions and congestion, free Sunday travel on our pioneering Harrogate Electrics buses will make it easier to support our local economy and keep our town’s traders in business into 2022.”
