Free bus bid to cut car commuting

Two thousand car users have taken up the free travel offer

Thousands of commuters in South Yorkshire are being offered free bus travel to lure them out of their cars.

Bus company Stagecoach has sent out one-week travel vouchers to 50,000 car owners in the Sheffield and Dearne Valley areas.

Commercial director Rupert Cox said: "We want to make it as easy as possible for people to get on the bus because we think we can attract new passengers."

About 2,000 people had so far taken up the offer, the company said.

Stagecoach's campaign has targeted people it identified through market research as car owners in the region.

As well as the travel voucher, the travel pack contains information about bus services and a map.

Mr Cox said: "You can save up to £3,000 a year by switching from the car to a bus on a typical 50-mile commute.

"We are not going to convert every single car user, but there are plenty of people out there who, given an incentive, will give the bus a try and we can encourage them to keep using the buses.

"The more people we can get on our buses the more we can expand our services."