West of England Mayor Dan Norris is celebrating one million journeys using his pioneering Birthday Bus scheme.

The Mayor was joined by some of the local residents who enjoyed a month’s free bus travel in their birthday month to mark the milestone.

In the first year of the scheme, which started in August 2023, more than 72,000 people signed up, making a total of 1,169,295 journeys. In one day alone, more than 6,700 journeys were made.

Mayor Dan Norris said:

“It’s been fantastic to hear about the journeys people have made using Birthday Buses - exploring our amazing region and saving on regular journeys.

But what’s really exciting is almost half of everyone who has used Birthday Buses now say they are more likely to use the bus in future. That’s what Birthday Buses has always been about. These new long term passengers are helping to build a more sustainable bus network going forwards. And that’s vital to tackle those traffic jams and the climate emergency.

I’m thrilled that so many West of England people have taken up the offer of a month of free bus travel throughout your Birthday month!”

The results of the Birthday Bus scheme are currently being evaluated and options to re-run being explored. For more information and to sign up for updates, visit Birthday Bus – Free bus travel - West of England Combined Authority (westofengland-ca.gov.uk)

The birthday bus scheme is funded by UK Government and is part of a joint investment plan by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority and North Somerset Council to encourage new passengers to travel by bus and so create a sustainable and growing network.