Did you know September is Catch the Bus Month? It’s a month-long celebration of the incredible, sustainable, affordable and life-enhancing services that buses provide our communities with.
There are many benefits to using a bus. Buses help to reduce congestion, remove stress from driving, and improve opportunities to unwind on your daily commute, such as through reading or listening to music.
Taking the bus can also help you move more by increasing walking or wheeling, which can benefit your physical and mental health.
As a local council, we’re supporting Catch the Bus Month as part of our commitment to the North Wales Healthy Travel Charter, and we’re inviting our residents to get involved too.
The Healthy Travel Charter is a commitment to improve healthy and sustainable travel options such as walking, wheeling or using public transport.
The charter sets out how organisations can raise awareness of the benefits of healthy travel, and increase opportunities by offering things like cycle to work schemes or flexible working.
Councillor David A Bithell, Deputy Leader and Climate Champion, said: “As part of Catch the Bus Month, we’re encouraging people to hop on the bus when they visit council venues, including our city centre offices, Tŷ Pawb and our libraries.
“Earlier this year we signed up to the North Wales Healthy Charter as we’re fully committed to promoting sustainable and healthy travel in order to reduce carbon emissions, improve air quality, and enhance health and well-being.
“The charter was developed by the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board Public Health Team, and we’re proud to have signed up to it as part of our membership of the Wrexham and Flintshire Public Services Board.
“Whilst travelling by bus has some great benefits, it isn’t the only way to travel sustainably. Walking, cycling or wheeling, using trains and shared travelling are all ways we can lower our impact on the environment, and improve our physical and mental health and wellbeing.”
How are we doing?
Following our review as a member of the North Wales Healthy Travel Charter, we’re pleased to say we’re performing well on:
- Having a travel expense policy that encourages council employees to walk, cycle and use public transport or pool cars where possible, instead of driving their own car.
- Offering a cycle to work scheme for our staff and improving access to cycles at work (we have a fleet of bicycles that staff can use to travel to meetings, site-visits and other work-based travel).
- Providing flexible working options wherever possible – helping to reduce the need for staff to travel.
- Being aware of our current and future need for electric vehicle and e-bike charging on our sites. We have a number of electric chargers already in place, and we’re looking at where additional chargers might need to be installed.
We’re also planning:
- Increased promotion of active and sustainable travel options, such as walking and cycling, to our main council sites. This includes building on our staff training module, and our regular staff bulletins that promote things like Walk on Wednesdays and Bike Week.
Dr Jane Moore, Acting Executive Director of Public Health at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, said: “Choosing active travel options – including catching the bus – can help us all get more exercise and improve our mental and physical health. It also helps to reduce congestion in our streets and communities, meaning less traffic and cleaner air.
“Wrexham Council is taking some really positive steps to help make it easier for people to choose walking, wheeling or cycling, or to use public transport. It’s great that the council has signed up to the North Wales Healthy Travel Charter, and are promoting Catch the Bus Month this September.
“I would encourage people in Wrexham to think about how they can use the car less. It can be cheaper, and help make us and our loved ones feel better too.”
You can learn more about why healthy travel is important on the Healthy Travel Wales website.
You can also find out more about making green travel choices from Climate Action Wales.
