Green benefits of buses highlighted as part of Catch the Bus Week

Catch the Bus Week by Greener Journeys has been kicked off by Buses Minister Nusrat Ghani MP. Taking place 2-8 July, it will bring together bus operators, local authorities and passenger groups to promote the social, economic and environmental benefits of buses.

It comes as Greener Journeys publishes the first part of a new study by Arup into the transformational impact of bus investment on local economies, outlining how every £1 invested in local bus infrastructure can deliver more than £8 in wider economic benefits, and 23% of car users could be encouraged to switch to buses if buses were quicker and more reliable.

The study comes at a time when local authorities across the country continue to publish their plans to tackle rising air pollution in their cities. Many have committed to making clean diesel buses a key part of their clean air plans.

EURO VI diesel buses are 95% cleaner than previous models and emit fewer emissions overall than the average diesel Euro 6 car despite having 15 to 20 times the capacity.

TfL aims to have 240 electric buses running on the network next year and for all new double-deck buses to be zero-emissions or hybrid, with every single-deck bus in central London to be zero-emission by the following year.

Activities will take place across the country to celebrate the benefits of the bus, including competitions, regional bus tours and bus selfies with the famous Catch the Bus Week giant green hands.

Claire Haigh, Chief Executive of Greener Journeys, said: “We’re delighted to launch this year’s Catch the Bus Week. Now in its sixth year, Catch the Bus Week has grown from strength to strength and is vital to raising awareness of the essential economic, social and environmental benefits of the bus. Buses are the predominant mode of public transport and vital to reducing congestion and air pollution.

“The enthusiasm shown by bus operators, MPs, local authorities and many others in this year’s celebrations is so encouraging and is central to the success of the initiative and we look forward to seeing activities over the course of the week.

“We need a long-term investment strategy for bus. We have them for rail, walking, cycling and roads. It is time to develop a plan that includes our most vital form of transport.””

Nusrat Ghani, the Buses Minister, said: “Whether commuting to work or seeing friends and family, buses play an important role in keeping communities connected with 4.4 billion passenger journeys a year.

“We provide around £250 million every year to support bus services and a further £1 billion to support older and disabled people using the free bus pass scheme.

“Choosing the bus is a better decision for the environment and also eases congestion on the road as well as speeding up journeys.”