Free bus tickets during Catch The Bus Week this year.

[busenthusiast]

What bus operators are giving out free tickets for the Catch The Bus Week this year? Bus operators normally seem to do something like this so i am wondering what others have seen being offered so far?

I remember that a couple of years ago during one of the Catch The Bus Weeks both Go Ahead Brighton & Hove and Go Ahead Metrobus were giving out an unlimited amount of free one day tickets. All you had to do was apply online for a Key Smartcard during the Catch The Bus Week which is completely free of charge and they would send it to you fully loaded with a one day Network Saver (Brighton & Hove) or with a one day Metrovoyager (Metrobus) which was valid to use on any day of your choice within twelve months.

During another one of the Catch The Bus Weeks i also remember that Arriva were giving out an unlimited amount of free one day tickets. All you had to do is just download the M Ticket smartphone app and enter a code and it would give you a free one day ticket for use on Arriva buses.

I haven't seen any free travel offered this year though so i am just wondering if anyone has? Is anyone offering any free tickets this year?

I have seen some discounts though. For example Arriva are currently offering a one day ticket for just £1.00 total for any area of their bus operations. All you have to do is download the M Ticket smartphone app and it will let you buy this special £1.00 one day ticket.

Also i have seen some competitions. For example Compass Bus are currently offering the chance to win a one week ticket during every day of this week that gives unlimited travel on all Compass Bus services by simply answering a question on their Twitter that they have posted every day and retweeting the tweet.

What else have you seen during this years Catch The Bus Week on offer? Have you seen any free tickets or discounted tickets or competitions or anything else that is being offered?

 

[PeterC]

Catch the Bus Week?
So well publicised around here that I had never heard of it let alone seen any offers.

 

[Deerfold]

Transdev Keighley have apparently been giving out free tickets. No idea where though. I've caught the bus into town yesterday and today and seen nothing about it.

http://www.keighleybus.co.uk/news.jsp?newsID=2727

GET ON BOARD FOR CATCH THE BUS WEEK!

28-06-2019
It's a national celebration of the benefits of taking the bus – and in Yorkshire, Lancashire and Greater Manchester, the party's going to be bigger than ever!

We're planning a packed week of feel-good fun starting on Monday (1 July) – including free ticket giveaways, huge savings on tickets bought through our app, Transdev Go, and chances to feel like a VIP with our #BusButlers out on the prowl.

Catch The Bus Week is a unique and fun initiative to show people how travelling by bus can be easy on the environment as well as great value for money.

The celebration is now in its fifth year, and we'll be at the heart of the party with special offers and giveaways across the week.

Our CEO Alex Hornby said: “We're delighted to be getting behind this week-long campaign which promotes the best of British bus travel – there's no better time than Catch The Bus Week to discover the many benefits of using our buses.

“Our buses are good news for the environment, offering an easy, friendly and great value way to get around, using smart, modern buses which our customers can feel proud to be seen on. Our diesel buses across the North are cleaner than ever, contributing 96 per cent less nitrogen dioxide emissions than previous buses, and creating less pollution than new diesel cars."

Look out for a range of special treats and huge discounts, every day during Catch The Bus Week!

I used the app both days and have looked now and can see no sign of any savings on tickets

 

[Typhoon]

What bus operators are giving out free tickets for the Catch The Bus Week this year? Bus operators normally seem to do something like this so i am wondering what others have seen being offered so far?

Perhaps fortified by their impending independence, Yellow Buses are giving passengers 35 days travel instead of 30 for their network pass, not so much free tickets as 16% more - plus competitions! My local Stagecoach subsidiary usually advertises the week but seemingly not the year. I once was given a bag (not plastic), pen, key fob and sunflower seeds. I would have preferred a free ticket, even a half price ticket!

 

[johntea]

Transdev Keighley have apparently been giving out free tickets. No idea where though. I've caught the bus into town yesterday and today and seen nothing about it.

http://www.keighleybus.co.uk/news.jsp?newsID=2727


I used the app both days and have looked now and can see no sign of any savings on tickets

Transdev Harrogate had a tweet up claiming they were giving away 50 free day rider tickets on Monday if you followed them and retweeted, only to swiftly remove the tweet when less than 50 people retweeted then gave away a grand total of 4 day riders! Unluckily for them, the original tweet still appears on my timeline...

 

[darloscott]

Someone was giving away a voucher for a free weekly ticket with every weekly bought this week but I can’t remember who it was. Sorry for the lack of details

 

[bussnapperwm]

Rosso advertised a competition for a free day ticket earlier this week IIRC. NXWM had a competition for a week m ticket

 

[Hophead]

Transdev Harrogate had a tweet up claiming they were giving away 50 free day rider tickets on Monday if you followed them and retweeted, only to swiftly remove the tweet when less than 50 people retweeted then gave away a grand total of 4 day riders! Unluckily for them, the original tweet still appears on my timeline...

They are also offering free night bus travel!

For #ONENIGHTONLY on Saturday 6 July, all trips after midnight on the 36 between Leeds and Harrogate, and on the 1N between Harrogate and Knaresborough will be FREE for everyone.

It isn't clear from this whether they really do mean early Saturday morning, or actually just after Saturday's finished. I hope nobody turns up cashless at 01:00 on Sunday morning expecting to get home to Harrogate.

 

[Deerfold]

They are also offering free night bus travel!



It isn't clear from this whether they really do mean early Saturday morning, or actually just after Saturday's finished. I hope nobody turns up cashless at 01:00 on Sunday morning expecting to get home to Harrogate.

I've queried them on this before. On past experience they mean the early hours of Sunday morning.
I have said this isn't clear and they've told me that's how most people describe that time. In my experience it isn't how most bus companies describe it.

I've asked them on Twitter anyway.

 

[Hophead]

I think that it is clear (ish) and doesn't mean what they think it means. Had they said "Saturday night", that would be how people tend to describe it.

 

[Stan Drews]

I've queried them on this before. On past experience they mean the early hours of Sunday morning.
I have said this isn't clear and they've told me that's how most people describe that time. In my experience it isn't how most bus companies describe it.

I've asked them on Twitter anyway.

I’d have thought the fact they only run the night buses on the 36 and the 1N on a Saturday night/Sunday morning, would be a bit of a clue!

 

[Deerfold]

I’d have thought the fact they only run the night buses on the 36 and the 1N on a Saturday night/Sunday morning, would be a bit of a clue!

So, a bit misleading for those who use days and times correctly but haven't the timetable in front of them.

 

[Deerfold]

Transdev Harrogate had a tweet up claiming they were giving away 50 free day rider tickets on Monday if you followed them and retweeted, only to swiftly remove the tweet when less than 50 people retweeted then gave away a grand total of 4 day riders! Unluckily for them, the original tweet still appears on my timeline...

It seems I missed a similar post from Keighley buses - it was retweeted by 28 people. They also had a "flash sale" on Thursday of a half price Gold ticket - an unusual choice as anyone only catching Keighley Bus Company buses would usually be better off on a cheaper ticket.

I'm not sure that counts as a packed week.

 

[Stan Drews]

So, a bit misleading for those who use days and times correctly but haven't the timetable in front of them.

I very much doubt that such pedants would risk going out on a Saturday night and not return until Sunday morning!

 

[noddingdonkey]

Why do they hold Catch the Bus Week at this time of year? I can't imagine many people wanting to swap their air conditioned car for a hot sweaty bus in the temperatures we often get at this time of year.

 

[wazztie16]

Why do they hold Catch the Bus Week at this time of year? I can't imagine many people wanting to swap their air conditioned car for a hot sweaty bus in the temperatures we often get at this time of year.

I'd think most people don't want a potential drink driving arrest to deal with if they fancy a few bevvies during the nice weather.

 

[NorthOxonian]

Why do they hold Catch the Bus Week at this time of year? I can't imagine many people wanting to swap their air conditioned car for a hot sweaty bus in the temperatures we often get at this time of year.

If you have it just before the six weeks holiday, it could make families more likely to use the bus for a day trip. That said, if that was your intention, you might be best off moving the week a bit later.

 

[DJames]

It's a bit late, but Arriva (at least in the Midlands) were doing a day ticket for £1 on their mTicket app, if you used the code CTBW19.

 

[SCH117X]

They also had a "flash sale" on Thursday of a half price Gold ticket - an unusual choice as anyone only catching Keighley Bus Company buses would usually be better off on a cheaper ticket.

It was an offer across the Transdev Blazefield companies so was quite useful for someone who has no choice but to buy a Gold ticket for weekly/monthly travel

 

[PeterC]

Why do they hold Catch the Bus Week at this time of year? I can't imagine many people wanting to swap their air conditioned car for a hot sweaty bus in the temperatures we often get at this time of year.

I doubt if the drivers will have even heard about it. I haven't seen a thing about it anywhere except on this thread and assume that the bulk of the publicity must be on board the buses.

 

[Deerfold]

It was an offer across the Transdev Blazefield companies so was quite useful for someone who has no choice but to buy a Gold ticket for weekly/monthly travel

Perhaps, but people in Keighley would see it offered by Keighley buses. And then only if they follow them on Twitter and looked at the right time.

People in Keighley are unlikely to have been looking at the Gold ticket randomly on the app as a KCard Extra covers all their services (and some of Burnley's).

I have once bought a Gold weekly ticket for a week with a few days off to go roaming a bit further as well as covering my local bus travel.

 

[Eyersey468]

I'd never heard of it before just now and I drive them!