WECA Bus Passes: Free Travel during your birth month

[whole diary]

[infoman]

Dan Norris will be on Radio Bristol

wednesday 31 may(thats today) conductng a Q and A.between 10:00am and 2pm 
Maybe some one could phone in and ask why he is having a birthday bash celebration by awarding 8 million pounds to the local bus company.

[JayMac]

Maybe make that call yourself.

Although I'm not sure what you mean by "awarding £8 million to the local bus company."

The birthday bus pass scheme is giving free birthday month bus travel across all participating operators in the WECA^» (West of England Combined Authority - about) area. No bus company is getting £8 million. That's the cost of the scheme - being borne by WECA.

By all means ask whether £8 million could be better spent on improving and retaining bus services.

[Red Squirrel]

I'm rather looking forward to September! Glad my birth month isn't in the depths of winter though.

Sadly the top hit on google for 'weca birthday bus pass' gets a 404: https://www.westofengland-ca.gov.uk/what-we-do/transport/bus/birthdaybus/

I see the Bristol and South Glos Conservatives don't like it:

Cllr Liz Brennan, the Conservative Group’s Shadow Cabinet member for Planning, Regeneration and Infrastructure, said: “I am utterly perplexed at the WECA^» (West of England Combined Authority - about) Mayor’s decision to waste a colossal £8m on what amounts to nothing more than a desperate publicity gimmick and a shameless act of self-promotion.

“Eight million pounds is an enormous sum of money that could easily be put towards resurrecting all the services that have been cut after the WECA Mayor claimed he could no longer fund them.

I have changed the title of this thread to make it a bit clearer what it's about.

[Red Squirrel]

According to the Bristol Post, the uri you'll need if you are eligible is https://www.birthdaybus.co.uk/

Bristol Post says this is now live, but computer says no.

[grahame]

Cllr Liz Brennan, the Conservative Group’s Shadow Cabinet member for Planning, Regeneration and Infrastructure, said: “I am utterly perplexed at the WECA^» (West of England Combined Authority - about) Mayor’s decision to waste a colossal £8m on what amounts to nothing more than a desperate publicity gimmick and a shameless act of self-promotion.

Were it just a gimmick and act of self-promotion, I might agree.   However, it could also be seen as a way of marketing . encouraging people to use the bus and furthermore to spread that marketing and the extra traffic generated over a whole year rather than creating a single peak of demand.   I'm also noting that many people make their bus journeys in pairs, so perhaps it will also encourage a Piscarian bloke who's got a month pass to bring along his Tauran gal who doesn't that month.

[Bmblbzzz]

It's also not targeted at any particular demographic; spreading the bus-love, hopefully

[johnneyw]

I'll certainly look to take advantage of it and hope for a very fine November!

[Red Squirrel]

Those who feel this money should be spent on supporting services seem to have made an all too common mistake: it’s one thing to fund a one-off scheme, but quite another to commit to an annual expense.

[TonyK]

My birth month might be fine, but my birth year means I don't pay anyway.

[bobm]

Did you get free travel on the horse drawn trams?   

[TonyK]

Did you get free travel on the horse drawn trams?   

I had to pay the last time I was on one of those. I can't remember how much, it may have been 6d.

[Red Squirrel]

The website is now up and running at https://www.birthdaybus.co.uk/

I have applied for mine. Note that you will need a passport-style selfie to apply.