Residents will be able to travel on Coventry buses for free on New Years Day. People can jump on a bus in the city from 7am until 10pm on January 1, 2025.
Passengers can hop on a bus anywhere from Coventry and Solihull to Birmingham and the Black Country. Mayor Richard Parker said the pre-Christmas offer of free evening bus journeys saw passenger numbers increase by a third across the West Midlands.
Today, Mr Parker announced that people can take advantage of free bus journeys on New Years Day. It applies to all bus operators in the West Midlands, including National Express, Stagecoach, and Diamond.
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Mr Parker said he hopes this will help people 'avoid the stress' of driving when heading out on New Years Day. Tickets are not required, and people can simply hop on board buses across Coventry and the West Midlands.
Mayor of the West Midlands, Richard Parker, said: “Our free bus initiative earlier this month proved that when bus travel is affordable and accessible, people will choose it. I have already taken steps to bring our bus network under greater public control to make services work better for everyone in the West Midlands.”
He continued: “In the meantime, I am delighted to offer initiatives like this one, free bus travel across the region for everyone. At a time when finances are tight, it is a small gesture to make life a little easier.”
Antony Goozee, Bus Strategy and Commercial Director for National Express, added: “By working in partnership with the Mayor and Transport for West Midlands, the free travel offer has helped local bus operators to showcase the convenience of travelling by bus, so we are looking forward to taking our customers to where they need to be, for free, on New Years Day.
“Choosing to travel by bus is a great way to travel sustainably, and we hope that this offer will attract even more people to give the bus a go during 2025. It is worth remembering that one double-decker bus can take up to 75 cars off the road, which means faster, cleaner, and more reliable journeys for everyone.”
Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) said the initiative is part of the £20m Passenger Incentive Programme, which is funded by 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 bus network in the West Midlands.
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