Bus travel will be free across Portsmouth on Thursday 18 June for Clean Air Day.

As part of its Bus Service Improvement Plan, designed to improve bus services in the city, Portsmouth City Council is once more joining forces with local bus companies First Solent and Stagecoach to offer free travel throughout Clean Air Day. This will be available on all bus services when boarding within the Portsmouth boundary, including the Pompey Link service.

This is a great chance for more people to give the bus a try, whether on the school run or the journey to work, saving themselves some money and helping the city breathe easier.

National data shows 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. If more people were able to use public transport, it would contribute to cleaner air for everyone.

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. A full double decker bus can take up to 75 cars off the road, so if everyone switched one car journey a month to bus, there would be one billion fewer car journeys, and a saving of two million tonnes of CO2.

Bus travel in Portsmouth is already growing, with use up 53% in the past three years. There are now more than one million bus trips in the city every month, and over a quarter of the fleet is electric, with 62 electric buses in service. Portsmouth City Council is working towards a fully electric bus fleet by 2030, supported by plans to electrify local depots including Hoeford, Hilsea and Farlington by 2027.

Cllr Candlish, Cabinet Member for Transport at Portsmouth City Council, said: “It’s fantastic to see more and more people choosing to travel by bus in Portsmouth.

“We’ve made many significant improvements to bus travel recently through our Portsmouth Bus Service Improvement Plan, including introducing smooth, new electric buses. Put together, these changes are making bus travel a more convenient and attractive option, helping to improve air quality while keeping the city moving better.

“I’d encourage everyone to take advantage of the free travel on 18 June and see how easy it is to make the bus part of your everyday journeys.”

Peter Matthews, Head of Commercial, First Bus South said: “We’re encouraging everyone to take advantage of free bus travel on Clean Air Day and discover just how easy and convenient travelling by bus can be. Improved services, more frequent routes, accessible vehicles and the introduction of electric buses mean there’s never been a better time to give the bus a try. Whether you’re travelling to work, school or across the city, we hope residents will take this opportunity to experience the benefits for themselves.”

Marc Reddy, Managing Director of Stagecoach South, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Portsmouth City Council to support Clean Air Day by offering free bus travel across the city on 18 June. This initiative gives residents the perfect opportunity to experience the convenience, affordability and environmental benefits of travelling by bus.

Every journey made by bus instead of car helps reduce congestion and improve air quality, and we’re proud to play our part in supporting a cleaner, healthier Portsmouth. With growing passenger numbers and continued investment in cleaner, more sustainable vehicles, we’re seeing more people choose the bus for their everyday journeys. We encourage everyone to take advantage of the free travel offer and discover how easy it is to leave the car at home.”

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