A newly launched coach commuter service is in the running for a top sustainable transport award.
The commuter service which is run by The Kings Ferry provides a new link between North Somerset and North Bristol business areas. It has been nominated for the ‘Most innovative sustainable travel measure’ category of the Travel West Business Travel Awards.
TravelWest – a website based journey planning organisation for people living in the West of England – was looking for companies which had developed an innovative service that provided a benefit to sustainable travel. The panel thought the coach service met all the award criteria.
Launched last month, the coach service – run in partnership with North Somerset Council and funded by the Local Sustainable Transport Fund – provides commuters with a link between North Somerset and North Bristol. It is already proving popular with customers and playing its part to ease congestion by taking cars off the road.
Eight routes a day carry passengers from Weston-super-Mare, Clevedon and Portishead to business parks in North Bristol and back. Previously thousands of commuters in North Somerset had little option other than to travel by car but now they can travel by a coach offering a guaranteed seat, WiFi and air conditioning.
The Kings Ferry Commercial Director Danny Elford said: “We believe commuting by coach is the future of getting to work. People increasingly care about sustainable travel and ever-increasing numbers of cars on the nation’s roads are both undesirable, from an environmental point of view, and untenable. We are thrilled to be shortlisted for this award, which clearly recognises the vital role coach travel is already playing in North Somerset’s commute to work.
“This nomination is a credit to the people who have worked tirelessly to get this project off the ground and is the result of months of planning and work with our partners at North Somerset Council. Our fingers are crossed for success at the ceremony.”
The award winner will be announced at the Guildhall, Bath on November 28. For more on the commuter service visit www.bristolcommute.com
