Catch the Bus Week highlights how central the bus is to communities around the country and aims to inspire people to leave the car at home and take the bus to their next destination.
This year’s Catch the Bus Week will focus on loneliness and how buses can stay help people to stay connected. This is to highlight the important role that buses play in helping to tackle isolation. A recent survey of 2,000 people commissioned by Greener Journeys found that A third of people (33 per cent) deliberately catch the bus to have some human contact.
Buses are of vital importance to communities right across the UK. They are our most widely used form of public transport, carrying millions of people to work and places of education, and providing crucial access to town centres. Buses reduce congestion and help to improve local air quality. Despite their extensive economic, societal and environmental benefits, buses can all too often be overlooked and undervalued.
There are so many benefits from catching the bus including the following -
Tackling loneliness & other societal benefits
Buses are central to the fabric of UK society, helping to connect people and alleviate feelings of isolation. Buses help local communities to thrive by keeping local people connecting and strengthening community ties.
Health & wellbeing
Travelling by bus can be a less stressful way to travel and frees up valuable time. Did you know that walking to the bus stop can, on average, help you achieve half the Government's recommended 30 minutes of exercise per day? Taking the bus frees your hands and your head, allowing you to catch up on life admin, read a book or play games on your mobile.
Economic
The bus is good value for everyone! Buses help tackle congestion, which costs the UK economy at least £11 billion each year. Did you know that more than 1 in 10 (11%) of commuters would have to change jobs or leave the job market completely if bus service ceased to exits?
Environment
It’s greener to get around by bus – buses help tackle air pollution by taking cars off the road. One fully loaded double decker bus can take 75 cars off the road and if everyone switched just one car journey a month to the bus, there would be one billion fewer car journeys on our roads, and a saving of 2 million tonnes of CO2.
Our vision is to transform our communities into cleaner, greener, less congested and more prosperous places to live and work, where public transport is a convenient and desirable choice for everyone.
Why not head on your next doorstep adventure and join in on Catch the Bus Week 2019!
(Conducted by research from Greener Journeys).
