Some 250 car owners in England and Scotland recently scrapped their dilapidated old
cars for annual bus passes in response to an initiative launched by FirstGroup, the United
Kingdom's leading transport operator, under the motto "Swap Your Banger for a
Bus."
The nationwide exchange campaign was a highlight of the annual "Green Transport
Week." To participate, car owners had to present a valid license and insurance
certificate.
The cars, which were up to 15 years old, were delivered to bus depots around the U.K.
and passed on to scrap dealers, where they were immediately crushed to get them off the
roads.
Drivers in 11 major cities in England and Scotland, including London and Glasgow,
responded to the call to turn in run-down cars in exchange for annual bus passes worth
about $400 each.
The FirstGroup campaign followed a successful pilot project in Glasgow last year, which
involved 65 drivers trading in their cars. According to the company, the annual passes it
is providing this year have a combined face value of about $380,000 at the current
exchange rate.
FirstGroup Chief Executive Officer Moir Lockhead said the response from the public is
proof "that car users really are prepared to try public transport again when the
services are right.
"We have invested heavily in new vehicles and new initiatives designed to speed
buses through congestion hot spots," Lockhead added. "In many citiies, we are
now able to offer comparable door-to-door journey times to the car and--in some cases--be
both quicker and cheaper."
FirstGroup has a fleet of more than 10,000 buses and nearly a quarter of the U.K.
market share. Daily ridership is in the range of 2.7 million in some 40 cities and towns.
The company also said it has added some 3,000 new buses to the fleet over the past five
years and that its entire fleet runs on ultra low-sulfur diesel.
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