National Express Gives Free Bus Rravel for Clean Air Day

National Express West Midlands is celebrating Clean Air Day by offering a day of free bus travel.

Tom Stables, managing director of National Express West Midlands, said: “Air pollution is a real problem here in the West Midlands. It’s affecting people's health right now — especially children. 

“Buses are the solution to pollution. We know that once people try the bus, they like it, so our free Clean Air Day ticket is a great opportunity to get on board. 

“Make a pledge to leave your car at home on June 21st — let’s all work together to bring down air pollution across the West Midlands.”

The Birmingham-based bus operator is offering everyone in the West Midlands one complimentary day mTicket for Clean Air Day. The free ticket is available from the company's website from Wednesday June 20, 2018 until midnight on Thursday June 21, 2018. It’s valid to use for 90 days.

National Express West Midlands has halved bus exhaust emissions in the last five years and will halve them again in the next couple of years.

The bus company has done this by investing millions of pounds in new buses which are the cleanest, greenest buses on the market. They have also been fitting hundreds of their oldest buses with new exhaust systems that make the air coming out of the tailpipe cleaner than the air that went in.

Travelling to work by car exposes people to 21 percent higher levels of pollution than other modes of transport.

Councillor Waseem Zaffar, cabinet member for Transport and Environment at Birmingham City Council, said: “Poor air quality is responsible for up to 900 premature deaths in Birmingham each year, which is completely unacceptable.

“If we are going to tackle this public health crisis then we need people to think carefully about their travel habits and this includes leaving the car at home and using public transport instead. I am pleased that operators such as National Express are already taking positive steps to help improve the air we breathe.

“As a council, we are already working to implement a better connected, accessible and affordable public transport network in our city and from next year we will also be introducing the city’s first fleet of zero-emission hydrogen-fuelled buses.”

Raj Kandola, senior policy advisor at Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, said, “We are really pleased to see Chamber Patron National Express introducing this initiative to get workforces across the West Midlands taking the bus to work.

“Our recent Congestion Report cited Birmingham as the third most congested city in England, with levels of air pollution dangerously high across the region.

“It is our hope that in taking advantage of free bus travel on Clean Air Day, residents will realise how convenient it is to use public transport across the West Midlads and incorporate it into their regular commute.

“Greater take-up of buses will be a significant step in reducing air pollution caused by cars and help workforces and residents throughout the region remain healthy and more productive.”

The Chief Executive of Greener Journeys, Claire Haigh, said: “If we are going to tackle our air quality crisis, we need to reduce the number of cars on the road. We need councils to place green, modern buses at the heart of clean air strategies.

“Greener Journeys research has shown that modern diesel cars produce 10 times more harmful NOx emissions per passenger than modern diesel buses. 

“Considering a fully-loaded double-decker bus can take 75 cars off the road, a shift to buses would be a vital step in reducing air pollution in our towns and cities.”