New £1m bus investment announced as public urged to leave cars at home for Catch the Bus Week

First South Yorkshire is joining forces with sustainable transport group Greener Journeys to encourage people to swap car journeys for their local bus services as part of national campaign ‘Catch the Bus Week’.

The campaign, which takes place from Monday 4 July to Sunday 10 July aims to raise awareness of the vast economic, environmental and social benefits of taking the bus. This week, bus operators, local councils, members of parliament, schools and passenger transport groups are holding events and promotions to celebrate that contribution, and encourage drivers to try a more sustainable choice of transport.

Now in its 4th year, Catch the Bus Week – spearheaded by Greener Journeys – brings together hundreds of organisations across the country, engaging communities with creative and exciting promotional activity.

The new buses will operate on routes across Rotherham including the 69 service between Sheffield and Rotherham. The new Rotherham buses form part of a 2016 vehicle investment programme of over £5m across South Yorkshire supporting the Bus Partnerships with local councils, the Passenger Transport Executive and other operators. This announcement follows a £3m investment in Doncaster earlier this year and a £1m+ investment in Sheffield later this year.

Claire Haigh, Chief Executive of Greener Journeys, commented, “Once again, we are delighted to see the entire bus sector coming together to promote the benefits of the bus. There isn’t a single area of our daily lives that doesn’t in some way depend on the bus so it is fantastic to see its worth celebrated in such extravagant fashion.”

Andrew Denniff, Chief Executive of Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber of Commerce said, “Buses play an important role connecting people and supporting our local economy and I welcome this latest initiative by First South Yorkshire as part of Catch the Bus Week to encourage even more people to use buses.”

* Unlimited travel on First buses within selected area boundary, see www.firstgroup.com for details