Xplore Dundee and Dundee City Council (DCC) are working together to co-sponsor a Welcome Assistance Pass for refugees from 30 May. Initially offered to arrivals from Ukraine, it will provide a month’s free bus travel to those who adopt Dundee as their new home and is aimed at helping them to settle into new surroundings.
The two organisations add that the Welcome Assistance Pass will subsequently be available to people fleeing war or persecution anywhere in the world. In a separate initiative, Xplore Dundee and DCC continue to partner to provide free DaySaver tickets to refugees who travel by bus to attend English language courses at Dundee and Angus College.
Xplore Dundee Director and General Manager David Phillips – who recently joined the McGill’s Group subsidiary from First Bus – says: “We are pleased to be working with colleagues at Dundee City Council to make life a little bit easier for people coming to this country because of conflict at home.
“Moving to a strange city is a big thing for anybody, especially if you are not doing it through choice. Our hope is that the Welcome Assistance Pass will help them to find their way around town before long.”
Adds DCC Leader Cllr John Alexander: “Our humanitarian protection team, working closely with colleagues in Xplore Dundee, are confident that this offer will be of great assistance to those resettling in the city.
“We are committed to doing everything we can to make Dundee a warm and welcoming city and I hope this offer will help refugees make Dundee their home.”
