Latest news with #WestofEngland
The Independent
19 hours ago
- The Independent
Children to go free on buses in West of England during summer holiday
Children in the West of England will be able to travel on buses for free during the school summer holiday, the region's mayor has announced. The offer could benefit around 150,000 young people aged five to 15 in Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire, the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority said. No bus pass or registration will be required to access the scheme, which is due to run from July 19 to September 5. Mayor of the West of England Helen Godwin, who announced the plans at Hengrove Play Park in south Bristol on Monday, said the initiative would 'help people save money and encourage greener travel', as well as 'inspire the next generation of bus passengers'. Ms Godwin, who was elected mayor last month, added: 'With free travel for 150,000 kids, local families will more easily have busloads of fun during the school holidays.' Pupils from Perry Court E-ACT Academy joined local council leaders at the announcement, alongside bus operators including First Bus, Stagecoach and Bath Bus Company. The initiative is subject to final approvals and would apply to all registered commercial and supported bus services, with limited exemptions such as airport routes. It will be funded through a share of the £13.5 million Bus Grant awarded to the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority by the Department for Transport. Children under five already travel free on most services in the West of England, while fares for five to 15-year-olds are currently capped at £1 per journey.
The Guardian
19 hours ago
- The Guardian
Children to have free bus travel in west of England during summer holidays
Children under the age of 16 will be able to travel for free on buses in the west of England during the school summer holidays in a move benefiting about 150,000 young people. The West of England combined authority (Weca) – covering Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire – plus North Somerset will allow children aged from five to 15 to travel for free with no bus pass or registration required. The move, designed to alleviate cost of living pressures and to encourage people to consider public transport, is the first of its kind in England outside London, where children under 16 can travel free. Announcing the scheme at a play park in south Bristol, the recently elected Labour mayor for the West of England, Helen Godwin, said the offer should alleviate cost pressures for families struggling with the cost of living. 'It's right that we help people save money and encourage greener travel, and this scheme would do just that,' Godwin said. 'With free travel for 150,000 kids, local families will more easily have busloads of fun during the school holidays. This is just the start for a new chapter for the West of England. As well as helping people have a great time over the summer, our first steps on transport should help inspire the next generation of bus passengers.' Bath Bus Company, First Bus and Stagecoach were part of the announcement, which featured one of the hundreds of new zero-emission electric buses to be rolled out in the region over the coming months and years. Raya, the head girl at the primary school Perry Court E-Act academy in Hengrove, Bristol, said: 'I don't live that close to my friends – so I will be able to meet up with them more often. Also, I can go into town and get stuff for secondary school in September.' Cyrus, the head boy at the school, said: 'This is really helpful as I have a lot of brothers and sisters, but it costs a lot to use the bus – so my mum will find this really helpful. My grandad can use his bus pass, and I can go with him for free into town.' It was announced last week that West of England would receive £752m of transport funding for improved buses, more trains, and to explore mass transit in the region. Critics argued that the West of England was shortchanged in receiving less than other authorities, including the smaller Tees Valley authority area. The free bus travel will be funded using some of the £13.5m of bus grant funding secured from the Department for Transport by Weca, separate from last week's cash injection announced by the chancellor, Rachel Reeves. The school holidays are due to start on 19 July. The proposed free travel offer would run from then until 5 September across the West of England and North Somerset, which is hoping to join the combined authority.
BBC News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Headlines: Nuclear power stations and Robbie Williams
Here's our daily pick of stories from across local websites in the West of England, and interesting content from social media. Our pick of local website stories The family of Jack O'Sullivan who went missing in Bristol in March, 2024, have told Bristol Live of the "unimaginable hell" they've been through as they continue their search for Live shared the latest pictures from Hinkley Point C where work to build the domed roof on the second reactor is under Gloucestershire Live told the story of how a group of women who all suffer with chronic pain have set up a group to support others living with the condition. Our top three from yesterday What to watch on social media A Weston-super-Mare based funeral home have been offering free prom night limo rides for those who are struggling leader of North Somerset Council has addressed confusion over the ongoing restoration work at Birnbeck Pier and says every pound spent can be accounted in Bath have expressed concern over the potential for a university open day, Ladies Day at Bath Racecourse and a Robbie Williams concert on the Royal Crescent all happening on the same day.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
New Bristol electric buses to cut 'thousands of tonnes' of carbon
A new fleet of electric buses is set to hit the roads in the West of England following a £59m project to upgrade two key bus depots.A total of 98 new buses will soon be operating across nine services in Bristol and North Somerset following the installation of rapid chargers at depots in Hengrove and buses can travel up to 230 miles on one charge, and can be fully charged in just one hour and 15 West of England Mayor Helen Godwin said: "It's better for the environment, and a reliable way to travel, which is what people are asking us for." The first 24 new electric buses are already operating from the Weston-super-Mayor depot, while the Hengrove depot in Bristol is set to get the next year, 258 new electric buses are set to be delivered across the West, with Bath routes being electrified in West of England Combined Authority (Weca) estimates each electric bus will save an average of 75 tonnes of carbon per bus a year, equivalent to taking 54 cars off the whole fleet will reduce global warming gas emissions by the same amount as 14,000 cars produce, it Bus, one of the UK's largest bus operators, provided £50m of the funding, while the remaining £9m came from central government. Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood officially opened the Hengrove depot on said the government was bringing "cleaner, quieter and smoother bus journeys to Bristol and beyond".Mr Lightwood added: "Better buses help deliver our Plan for Change - creating green jobs, boosting the local economy, and building a more sustainable future."Mayor Godwin was among the guests at the launch. She told the BBC that the buses will provide an overall better experience for passengers."They're better for the environment, they're cleaner in terms of emissions, they're new, they're comfortable, have a lot of passenger capacity and they're more reliable."They're less likely to break down and I'm hopeful that the more of this fleet that we get, we can start to see the difference in the performances of buses in the region." Rob Pymm, acting managing director for First Bus in the West of England, said that as well as being good news for the environment, the buses are also a lot more reliable than diesel-powered vehicles."They have many fewer moving parts, and we have just found they break down less often," he said that by 2026, roughly half the company's bus fleet in the region would be electric. "Having three quarters of a million passengers every day travelling by electric bus - that's pretty exciting news," he added.
BBC News
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
'Tidal wave' of kittens and film crew in Burnham-on-Sea
Here's our daily pick of stories from across local websites in the West of England, and interesting content from social media. Our pick of local website stories Bath Dogs and Cats home are struggling under a tidal wave of kittens according to Somerset Live, with 27 cats and 31 kittens rescued in Stroud News and Journal reports an equine therapy centre in Stroud is looking for a new home as its current one is up for West Country have spoken to Bath Rugby's CEO who says their latest plans for the Rec have been given UNESCO approval. Our top three from yesterday What to watch on social media Wiltshire Police have a new search dog which came from a rescue home. Named Frank, he has also found a huge amount of cash recently hidden under pillows during a drugs Burnham on Sea search and rescue team are to appear on a Channel 5 show later in the year after filming took place on Rovers have paid tribute to a former employee at the club, Roy Dolling, on Facebook
