Free bus travel for jobless in January
More than 800,000 unemployed jobseekers will be granted free bus journeys across the country in January next year as part of a new industry initiative, Bus for Jobs.
Greener Journeys – the campaign to promote sustainable travel – has forged a deal with the UK’s leading bus companies to enable jobseekers, especially the young, to use their routes free of charge for a month.
The distinctive deal – which will cover over 70 per cent of the nation’s bus routes - will give a helping hand to people who are actively hunting for work or training.
In Scotland First, National Express and Stagecoach have agreed to support the joint initiative that will provide tangible help for people who are actively seeking work or taking part in training.
The Bus for Jobs scheme will provide free travel on the bus services of participating companies for the month of January and jobseekers who have been unemployed for between three months and one year will be eligible.
The scheme will cover holders of a JobCentre Plus Travel Discount Card. Those who are eligible for the card, which is available through JobCentre Plus, include people claiming Jobseekers’ Allowance, Incapacity Benefit, Employment and Support Allowance or Income Support and actively engaged with a Jobcentre Plus adviser in returning to employment. It is being publicised locally by the participating bus companies. Jobcentre Plus staff are actively promoting it to those looking for work and full details of the scheme are available on a specially created website: www.busforus.co.uk.
At present, the travel discount card allows users to save up to 50 per cent on train journeys, and on public transport in London. From January 1, card holders will be able to travel FREE on many buses around the country.
Details of participating bus companies and routes is available at www.busforus.co.uk
The initiative runs for the calendar month of January 2013 – Tuesday 1 January to Thursday 31 January inclusive. Greener Journeys estimate the scheme will cover over 70 per cent of all bus routes in England, Scotland and Wales.
