A breath of fresh air, get the bus for FREE on 20 June for Clean Air Day!

This is a great chance for everyone to use buses more, from families on the school run, to commuters on their way to work, and helps to make the air cleaner and reduce traffic congestion by taking cars off the road. A full double decker bus can take up to 75 cars off the road, and if everyone switched just one car journey a month to the bus, there would be one billion fewer car journeys, and a saving of 2 million tonnes of CO2¹.

Clean Air Day is the UK’s biggest air pollution campaign and encourages people to make simple changes to reduce the serious health effects caused by vehicle and other emissions.

According to official data, cars and vans are the biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and some types of air pollution in the UK, harming both our health and the planet.^2,3 If more people were able to walk, wheel, cycle or use reliable public transport, it would make the air cleaner for everyone and help to protect our health and the planet.

This initiative is running during Better Transport Week 2024, a week-long celebration of sustainable transport which takes place from 17 – 23 June. The council are celebrating by offering bus journeys for free on Thursday 20 June, and encouraging more people to try out the bus.

Natalie Brahma-Pearl, Chief Executive, Portsmouth City Council said:

“Portsmouth City Council is working to improve air quality locally all year round. We know transport emissions are one of the largest contributors to poor air quality, and we are supporting people to do their bit by providing high quality green public transport in the form of electric buses and much more. Clean air is so important for healthy lives, and we encourage everyone to try out the bus for free on Clean Air Day and see how easy it is to make it part of your normal routine.”

Simon Goff, Managing Director, First Solent said:

“We’re proud to be supporting this fantastic initiative, helping people realise the many benefits of using the buses. With our new electric buses now in service across Portsmouth, we’re proud to be part of the change for cleaner air across the city”.

Marc Reddy Managing Director of Stagecoach South said:

“We’re pleased to be working with Portsmouth City Council on providing free travel on Clean Air Day. It’s a great opportunity for car users to try the bus and see just how easy, convenient, and environmentally friendly it is to travel around the city on our low emission buses. We hope it will encourage long-lasting travel habits and dramatically improve the air quality for residents in Portsmouth.”

Find out more about free travel on Clean Air Day: portsmouth.gov.uk/freebus 

References: ¹Greener Journeys, The Road to a Carbon Efficient Britain, (2009)  , ² Department for Transport, Official Statistics: Transport and environment statistics: 2023 (2023); ³ Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, National statistics: Emissions of air pollutants in the UK – Nitrogen oxides (NOx) (2024)