Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) is to offer “try-before-you-buy” discounted or free bus travel to thousands in the region in a bid to boost bus patronage and reduce road congestion.
The £19 million project, funded by the £87.9 million Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) allocation which the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) received last year, will be offered through organisations such as businesses.
Participating employers will invite staff who normally commute by car to sign up for a Swift travel card or account to get a period of free or discounted bus travel. Additional groups targeted by the scheme will be care leavers, apprentices, those who are changing travel patterns after moving house or starting a new job and former season ticket holders.
TfWM says the project is part of a package of measures it is involved with to make bus services more attractive. It points out that many large employers, including NHS Trusts, already benefit from a discounted ticketing scheme for staff from National Express West Midlands.
Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands and WMCA Chair, says: “Buses are the backbone of our public transport network providing vital services for hundreds of thousands of people every day.
“I’m really pleased, therefore, that patronage on our buses is now above pre-pandemic levels, however we still need to do so much more to get people onto public transport to tackle congestion and the climate emergency.
“That’s why we’ve launched this new scheme to entice more people onboard our buses, and I would urge anyone offered the chance – both lapsed and first-time bus customers – to take part and give the bus a go.
“This new scheme is, of course, just one part of a wide range of improvements we are bringing to our bus network with investment in cleaner zero-emission buses, bus priority measures on the new Sprint routes improving reliability, and some of the cheapest bus fares in the country.”
Cllr Mike Bird, WMCA Portfolio Holder for Transport, adds: “From electric buses in Coventry to the tram extension in the Black Country, we are putting unprecedented funding into our public transport to ensure more people have affordable public transport linking them to job and leisure opportunities across our region and beyond.
“Crucially, while bus services in many other parts of the country have been cut in recent years, we have protected them here in the West Midlands and are looking at new ways, including this incentive scheme, to build a sustainable future for our bus services.”
Visit the TfWM website for information on how employers and organisations can take part.
