No Images? Click here Welcome to this special 'Catch The Bus Week' edition of the Bus Alliance newsletter. What it's all aboutCatch the Bus Week (CTBW) is a unique and fun initiative to show people the benefits of travelling by bus and a chance to profile bus services all over the country, which can hopefully lead to long term travel change. This year, the campaign, coordinated by Greener Journeys, ran from the 1- 7 July with events, ticket giveaways and other activities taking place across the country, involving bus companies, local authorities and passenger groups. West Midlands Bus Alliance partners have been playing their part to drive awareness of the benefits of taking the bus across the West Midlands. This special edition of the newsletter highlights some of the activities that have been taking place during the week. Claire Haigh’s message to the Bus Alliance BoardThe week started with Claire Haigh, Chief Executive of Greener Journeys, hot-footing from the national launch with the Mayor of London on Westminster bridge to Birmingham where she addressed the West Midlands Bus Alliance Board. Board Members with Claire Haigh at bus stop Claire said "Our society is in the grip of a loneliness epidemic, with one in ten adults saying they feel lonely every day. Of those, 30% say this is because they have no-one at home to talk to. In a world where networks of digital connections are increasingly replacing real human conversations, everyday social experiences like catching the bus provide a vital opportunity for face-to-face interaction with other people. In fact, a third of people in the UK say they have deliberately caught the bus in order to have some human contact. For some people, the bus driver might be the only person they speak to during the course of a normal day. "Despite these benefits, speaking to strangers on public transport is still the exception, not the norm. We know that connecting with other people increases happiness, and that bus travel provides the perfect forum to do so. That’s why this CTBW, we’re encouraging people all over the country to take the opportunity to sit next to one another, take out their headphones and share a conversation." Schools colouring competitionClaire Haigh with Sukhmani Bratch's winning art piece from the CTBW colouring competition A poster designed by a Wolverhampton school pupil will be advertised across the West Midlands to encourage more people to leave their cars at home and get on the buses. Year 5 pupil, Sukhmani Bratch, from Newbridge Preparatory School in Tettenhall, won a West Midlands Bus competition to design a poster, as part of CTBW. During her visit to Birmingham, Claire Haigh helped to pick out a winner, which was not an easy task, but Sukhmani’s bright, eye-catching picture could not be ignored. Her art showed the benefits of travelling by bus, especially reducing air pollution and helping to tackle loneliness and isolation. Sukhmani's art will be displayed on outdoor banners at bus stations across the West Midlands and at the school gates. West Midlands Bus team and Claire Haigh picking the winner for the CTBW colouring competition Cllr Kath Hartley, Chair of the West Midlands Combined Authority’s (WMCA) Transport Delivery Committee, presented the girls with their prizes. Claire expressed: “I was highly impressed by the creativity of all the entries, which show very powerfully why catching the bus is better for us than taking the car. “As well as improving our quality of life, fewer car journeys will reduce traffic congestion, which already costs this region £2bn each year.” A total of 17 girls, aged nine and ten, from the school took part in the competition, and they all receive a goodie bag of gifts, including art materials and a pedometer. Becki Bayley, art and design subject leader at Newbridge Preparatory School, said: “We were delighted that West Midlands Bus invited us to take part in the poster competition. “The girls came up with some fantastic, creative ideas to encourage us all to catch the bus more often.” Arriva’s £1 CTBW Adult Day m-ticketArriva asked people to pledge to make a change in the way they travel this CTBW, and in return is promising to give something back to local communities to support better mental health. Simon Mathieson, Area MD for Arriva Midlands North said: “To us, buses provide an important service within local communities, not just for connecting our customers, but also for offering a real platform for tackling loneliness and isolation by encouraging greater social integration. "We are incredibly proud of the role we are able to play in this, and we really see CTBW as a fantastic opportunity to be able to work with partners such as Mind to see how we can get people talking and help make our communities more inclusive for all. “Everyone knows someone effected by mental health problems, and we believe that more can be done to make it easier for people to access the support they need. By purchasing a special CTBW £1 m-ticket, and hopping on board with us this CTBW, our customers haven’t only been able to experience first-hand the social and economic benefits of traveling by bus, but they have also pledged to make a real difference.” Sandwell Cllr, Jackie Taylor, gets on boardNational Express West Midlands welcomed Cllr Jackie Taylor got onto their 87 bus service to spread the word. Lee Stockton, Operations Manager at National Express West Midlands, said: “Buses are absolutely key to keeping our local communities connected. National Express West Midlands carry millions of people to work, school, town centres and to see their family and friends every day. Cllr Jackie Taylor on their 87 bus service to spread the word "CTBW is a great opportunity for non-bus users to give it a try. It’s better for your health because it’s less stressful than commuting by car - and it’s cleaner. Cllrr Taylor said: "There's no better time to start experiencing the fantastic services on the bus transport network across the West Midlands. Bus Users UK – Your Bus MattersBus Users UK in partnership with Wolverhampton Cllr Celia Hibbert held a Your Bus Matters event with National Express West Midlands in the Penn area of Wolverhampton on Monday 1 July. They were also at Birmingham’s Bull Ring open market on Tuesday 2 July on a bus provided by Diamond Bus to hear what local people have to say about their bus services. Pete Bond, Director of Integrated network services at Transport for West Midlands, said: “We work in partnership with bus operators, local authorities and other organisations to improve the quality of bus services in the West Midlands. "The latest bus passenger survey from Transport Focus found that 84% of people in the West Midlands were very satisfied or fairly satisfied with their bus journey. While this is a positive score, we know that there is still more to do.” The bus parked up in the markets area drew a lot of attention and as well as talking to operators representatives about their services, visitors were able to 'Spin the Wheel' in order to win one of a number of prizes, including 3 lucky winners who each won a £10 Pay as You Go Swift card! Safer Travel Police TeamMembers of the Safer Travel Police team have been travelling across the bus network spreading the word about the benefits of catching the bus. Safer Travel recently attended an Aspire to Shine workshop at Henley Green Primary School in Coventry on 18 June. The workshop was designed to give Year 6 students the opportunity to meet professionals from a variety of industries. Two Safer Travel PCs and Education Officer Paula Shortland attended, and it’s safe to say that the Safer Travel Police were a hit. The pupils tried on standard Police Officer uniform along with a variety of riot gear. They also got to grips with handcuffs and learned about the specialist kit officers carry with them every day. After the workshop, Safer Travel PC Chris Milburn received a big thank you. A letter was sent to Safer Travel which read: "Dear Mr Milburn, I am writing to say thank you so much for coming to Henley Green Primary School last Tuesday. We, especially I, appreciated it. We were very lucky to have special people like you come into our school. The minute I saw you I thought I would not be interested but when I tried on the outfits and the handcuffs (that I can slip out of!) I thought that this job might be fun. I am a fast runner but not the fastest. I play cops and robbers with my friends (I am always the cop)! Despite always wanting to be a street dancer or a cook, you guys inspired me to be a Crime Review Officer. I think it would be fun. Thank you again and hopefully one day I could be a Crime Review Officer." Hopefully this pupil will be a future recruit of WMP! Reminder to our partners: We want to hear from youThe West Midlands Bus Alliance is comprised of representatives from bus operators, local councils, Highways England and other partners - if you're our partner, we’d be delighted to hear from you. This is your newsletter, so please let us know about any projects you are involved with so that best practice and successes can be celebrated and shared with all the partners. Projects could include new facilities for passengers, bus priority measures designed to increase punctuality and reliability, harnessing the latest technology to make integrated travel even more seamless, staff who have achieved great things or gone above and beyond in their day-to-day duties or new initiatives aimed at increasing patronage. They could also include innovative ticketing initiatives, cutting-edge solutions to reducing carbon emissions, network reviews and the introduction of new routes. Please email BusAlliance@tfwm.org.uk if you would like any of the excellent work the Bus Alliance is doing included in future editions of the newsletter. |