September is Catch the Bus Month!

Local people and visitors across the region are being encouraged to find out how easy and convenient it is to travel by bus.

To mark Catch the Bus Month - a nationwide campaign running throughout September - Morebus is helping to raise awareness of the benefits of travelling in this way, particularly among those who don’t normally use public transport.

“According to official figures, the number of local bus passenger journeys in England saw an increase of almost 20 percent in the year ending March 2023, and studies show that it is a third less stressful than travelling by car. Taking the bus can also help achieve half the government’s recommended 150 minutes’ moderate exercise per week, so there are plenty of reasons to want to increase usage still further,” said Morebus head of communications, Nikki Honer.

“We are certainly working hard to encourage more people on-board. Over recent years, we have invested millions of pounds in new buses to serve our comprehensive network of routes across the region. The seating on these state-of-the-art vehicles is more comfortable than ever, and each sports the latest Euro 6 low emissions engine.

“They also offer USB charging points for smartphones and hand-held devices, and contactless ‘tap on tap off’ ticketing facilities.

“Planning travel and buying tickets is now easier than ever too - thanks to the Morebus app, offering customers the chance to tailor their plans, track their intended bus in real time and pay for tickets instantly.

“During catch the Bus Month, we are offering new app customers 10 percent off a monthly pass. All you need to do is enter discount code 10CTBM24 when you buy a 30 day ticket on our app for the first time.  This offer is only available via the app for new customers only and is restricted to one purchase only any time during September 2024.

“The cost of travelling across the region offers excellent value-for-money for all our customers (new and existing) with the £2 fare cap for a single journey still in place - part of the Government’s Help for Households initiative.

“And we are committed to finding additional ways to encourage more people on-board. An example of this is our forthcoming Commuter Club. We are working with local businesses to deliver this initiative. Employees of each company signing up for membership will enjoy bus travel for just £1 per trip within the BCP local authority boundary. This scheme has made possible through our partnership with BCP Council and funding from the Government’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).

 “We want as many people to travel with us as possible, and Catch the Bus Month gives us an excellent opportunity to encourage more people to try sustainable transport. With just one fully-loaded double decker having the potential to take up to 75 cars off our roads, we hope we can help ease congestion in Dorset during September and beyond.”

For further details about the national campaign, visit bususers.org