Bus firm to give away thousands of free rides

Bus operator Stagecoach is giving away 5,000 free bus rides on its Southeast network in April.

Managing director, Joel Mitchell, proclaimed the initiative as “possibly the most massive give-away of free travel that any commercial transport provider has ever done.”

Mr Mitchell said “It’s an invitation for people to try the bus” that he hopes will help “build back trust” after a “tough time” for bus transport in recent years.

While passenger numbers on Britain’s bus services are still lower than they were before the pandemic, Stagecoach says it’s turned a corner after years of challenges, including driver and skilled engineering vacancy gaps and rising operating costs.

“We’ve faced some huge challenges that have affected our ability to deliver the quality of service that we know our communities deserve,” said Joel Mitchell.

Stagecoach says things have now improved with punctuality at a two year high, cancelled bus journeys at their lowest level for 18 months and passenger satisfaction ratings at 80% or more for cleanliness, friendliness and reliability.

“Our local teams have worked incredibly hard and we’re now performing better across a range of measures than we have since the lockdown periods ended four years ago.

“This initiative is our opportunity to say thank you for bearing with us and to give something back to the community. We want people to come and try the bus, and what better way to do that than to offer a free ride.”

Passengers will need to use the Stagecoach Bus App to claim their free ticket which is available to anyone using a Stagecoach bus in Kent and East Sussex. 

“Simply tap in the discount code ‘5000FREE’ when purchasing a single ticket on the app” says Mr Mitchell.

“The code gives a 100% discount on the fare – so it’s completely free.”

The bus firm confirmed there are 5,000 free rides up for grabs on a first-come, first-served basis, but the offer is limited to one free ride per customer.

Full details about the initiative and how claim the free offer is available on the Stagecoach website.