Bus journeys in some areas of Berkshire will be free until next month to help people struggling with cost of living pressures and reduce carbon emissions, reports the BBC. The West Berkshire Council initiative will offer free travel within west Berkshire on 26 November as well as every Saturday in December until Christmas Eve. In addition, some villages which do not usually have services on Saturdays will get free ones throughout the same period, and journeys extending to Reading, Basingstoke and Swindon will also be free, as will the return trip for those travelling beyond the local authority’s border.
Villages including Beedon, Frilsham, Streatley and Ufton Nervet are among those which do not normally have a bus service on Saturdays, but will offer residents trips to several destinations including Newbury or Thatcham. However, residents who wish to use the new Saturday services will need to book by 12:00 GMT on the Friday before, the BBC reports.
The initiative has been developed by the West Berkshire Enhanced Bus Partnership, which consists of West Berkshire Council, Reading Buses, Newbury & District, Thames Travel and Stagecoach. Free bus travel will be available on services operated by those operators and the council’s own Connect buses. Going Forward Buses also ran free services on 17 November.
