First Bus in Aberdeen has reported a 20% increase in weekend patronage since introducing free travel for those days throughout January.
The operator announced with Stagecoach North Scotland last month that their offer was possible thanks to operational savings resulting from new bus priority measures.
Data for the first two weekends of this year have revealed the positive impact of the decision, which the operator says it took to help reduce costs for householders at what can be a difficult time of the year.
The introduction of bus gates and bus lanes last summer cut journey times by up to 25% for 600,000 bus passengers in the city and led to increases in punctuality and reliability.
Duncan Cameron, Managing Director for First Bus Scotland, says: “We are delighted to see so many people taking advantage of our offer of free travel across all First Bus routes in Aberdeen throughout January, the subsequent benefits that will bring to people travelling around the city and the positive impact this will have on local businesses.
“The significant increase in passenger numbers highlights the appetite people have to utilise public transport in the city and shows the importance of bus priority measures such as the bus gates in helping to reduce congestion and, in turn, improve journey times for hundreds of thousands of passengers in the city each month.
“Sustainable, reliable and affordable transport is a cornerstone of making any city centre a success and we will continue to play our part alongside our investment in zero emission vehicles with nearly 50 now in operation across the city each day.”
