Residents and visitors are encouraged to make the most of the free weekend bus scheme in Herefordshire during its final month.
After a year of free weekend travel on buses in the county, the Bus-It scheme will end on Sunday 28 August, however Herefordshire Council will continue to financially support the most popular additional Sunday bus services.
The Bus-It scheme was funded by a Government Covid-19 recovery grant, to encourage residents and visitors to make use of public transport to access leisure and retail facilities in Hereford and the market towns following the pandemic.
Bus-It has been extremely popular, with thousands of people using the free bus service each month including a number of additional Sunday services introduced as part of the scheme.
Some bus operators will continue to offer fare promotions at weekends once the scheme ends, so you should check with the individual operator of the service you use to find out more.The council will continue to financially support the Sunday services that have been most popular with passengers meaning the following services will continue to operate seven days a week:
- 34/40 Ross-on-Wye – Monmouth & Ross Town
- 420 Bromyard – Hereford
- 476 Ledbury – Hereford
- 461 Kington – Hereford
- 426/492 combined service from Leominster – via Bodenham – Hereford
Cllr John Harrington, Cabinet member transport and infrastructure said: “We introduced free weekend bus travel to encourage people back onto public transport to visit new places following the pandemic to help support residents and the local economy. I have heard many stories of individuals, friends and families taking advantage of the Bus-It scheme to events or facilities around the county and boost the local economy. I hope that people have enjoyed using the scheme and found that there are alternatives to using the car, sitting back and taking in the scenery as they travel around our beautiful county. I hope it has shown that you don’t necessarily have to drive to places you could get a bus to, or that teenage children can take the bus to places like the Skatepark instead of being driven by car.
“We knew we couldn’t afford to fund the scheme in the longer term, unfortunately. It is bitterly disappointing that the government rejected our £18 million bid for our Bus service Improvement Plan – and the bids of two thirds of all the councils that bid – to provide a really comprehensive and affordable bus service within Herefordshire but we are continuing to consider ways we can work with our valued local bus operators to improve our local bus services to make them a more convenient and attractive way to travel.”
The Sunday services that were not well used and so will end on Sunday 28 August 2022 are: 36 Monmouth – Hereford, 454 Fownhope – Hereford, 675 Ledbury – Great Malvern, 496/401 Pembridge – Leominster Circular and Leominster Town.
For more information please visit the web page.
