First Bus Managing Director Giles Fearnley hails second annual ‘Catch the Bus Week’ a “fantastic success”

Aberdeen, Scotland,  2014-5-5 — /Travel PR News/ — Managing Director of First Bus, Giles Fearnley, has hailed the second annual ‘Catch the Bus Week’ a “fantastic success”.

Across the UK First has introduced and participated in a number of initiatives to support the week long campaign which has been led by sustainable transport group Greener Journeys and designed to encourage more trips by bus and coach and fewer car journeys.

First highlights during Catch the Bus Week, which ran from April 28 – May 4, include:

• In York First introduced the first of its hybrid buses;
• In Leeds First welcomed Chair of Bus Users UK, Gillian Merron, to the city for a Catch the Bus Week promotional event;
• And also in West Yorkshire, First and its partners launched MCard smart ticketing, a joint venture between bus and rail Operators and Metro;
• In Sheffield First hosted a Catch the Bus Week photocall to mark the introduction of 27 micro-hybrid vehicles to the city;
• Meanwhile First Manchester used Catch the Bus Week to launch M Ticketing, which enables customers to use their mobile phones as bus tickets;
• In Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk customers benefited from 20% reduction in the cost of weekly tickets;
• In the Midlands and Potteries a series of Meet the Manager sessions took place in town and city centres;
• And in Scotland, First Scotland East welcomed Local Government and Planning Minister, Derek Mackay MSP on board one of its Falkirk vehicles to promote Catch the Bus Week.

Meanwhile Giles Fearnley joined Greener Journeys and the Minister of State for Transport, Baroness Kramer, at a national launch in London.

Giles said: “Greener Journeys and its marvellous Catch the Bus Week campaign goes from strength to strength.  This year has been another fantastic success and I’m proud that our teams across the country have done so much to support it.”

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