News Archives - Bus Travel

Brussels offers residents 900 euros to ditch the car

Brussels has doubled the amount of money it pays residents who give up their car. The Bruxell’air scheme launched in 2006 and until recently paid drivers €500 to give up their car. This cash incentive has now doubled to €900 (£762). The financial incentive aims to encourage motorists in Brussels to give up their cars in favour of modes of…

New Zealand halves public transport costs in response to soaring oil prices

In response to soaring oil costs following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, New Zealand is to halve public transport fares for three months. The prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, said: “In the long term we need to build greater resilience into our transport system so we are less vulnerable to spikes in the price of petrol, but for now halving the cost…

Is Birmingham about to become the UK’s flagship liveable city?

Birmingham may be one of the country’s original motor cities, but like so many of our urban centres, it is blighted by congestion and pollution –  25 per cent of the city’s car journeys are one mile or shorter. However, change is on its way. In a bid to tackle costly congestion and create a more liveable city, the council…

Let’s make Green Transport Week a year-round event

We launched Green Transport Week in 1993 to celebrate sustainable transport and to raise awareness of the part transport has on our way of life and the environment. Almost 30 years later, the issue has never been more important. Our national health emergency predates covid-19. Britain’s poisonous air causes 40,000 early deaths a year, with almost one in four of…

Free urban public transport is spreading

The French channel port of Dunkirk has recently introduced free public transport for all, and in so doing joins an increasing number of cities seeking to reduce car dependency and tackle deadly air pollution. With its metropolitan population of 200,000, Dunkirk becomes the largest city in Europe to offer free public transport via its fleet of hop-on-hop-off buses. There is…