People are being encouraged to use public transport this week as part of a national campaign to get more people using buses.
Staffordshire County Council are backing this year’s ‘Catch the bus week’ campaign and have just launched a brand new travel planner on their website to help make bus travel even easier.
Staffordshire bus can now get everything they need on one single website at www.staffordshire.gov.uk/bustimes
As well as details of all bus services, scheduled times, and full route maps, people can also use their smart phone with GPS or a postcode search to locate the nearest bus stop to them, making bus travel even more convenient.
Cllr Simon Tagg, Cabinet Support Member for Transport and Connected County with Staffordshire County Council said:
“We are delighted to be able to launch our new bus travel planner while supporting the nationwide ‘Catch a bus week’. Campaigns like this are great for highlighting the many advantages of bus travel and give people an ideal opportunity to try it out for themselves.
“As a Council we are keen to get more people using public transport and the more reliable and attractive we can make it, the more likely we are to get people to use it.
“We have been working hard with bus operators across the county to make sure we have a sustainable bus network that meets the needs of our local communities. We’ve already got Wi-Fi on bus routes in Stafford along with electronic displays at many bus stops, and the roll out of real time passenger information coming soon. This, along with our new dedicated webpages and travel planner are all helping to make bus travel even easier.”
Catch the bus week runs from 28 April to 4 May and aims to encourage people to leave the car behind and use their local bus services.
The Council’s Inspiring New Travel Options team have also overseen the introduction of electronic display screens fitted to over 20 bus stops around Stafford, giving people scheduled arrival times for their bus journeys. Real time passenger information (RTPI) is also being trialled in the north of the county and will be introduced in Stafford later in the summer.
How do you rate the bus services to and from Stone? Would you rather have buses that ran on time as opposed to wifi and other add-ons?
1 comment
Steve
I seems ironic that for ‘Catch the Bus Week’, the services from Oulton into Stone have been heavily cut with little in the way of consultation or notification. On Tuesday I gave two ladies a lift from the village into town. Both had important engagements to meet (one in Birgmingham via train service from Stone via Stafford, the other in town). Neither was aware that their usual service had been cut, and it was fortunate for them that I was heading into town using private transport. I recognised their plight and gave them a lift. Upon my return there were two other ladies waiting for a bus – equally perplexed by the changes. None of these ladies drive. Public transport (or generous neighbours) are the only options for some due to their age and ability issues.
The service from Oulton to Stone is now limited, and it is nigh-on impossible to get a sensible public transport solution from Oulton to Stone and then on by train.
I would like to know how “Cllr Simon Tagg, Cabinet Support Member for Transport and Connected County with Staffordshire County Council” rationalises this situation with his statement.