There's never been a better time to catch the bus

The Kids Go Free summer offer coincides with Catch the Bus Week – which runs until Sunday (July 8) – a nationwide campaign aimed at driving awareness of the benefits of taking the bus.

Duncan Cameron, operations director from First Glasgow, said: “For most people the daily commute to work is something to be put up with rather than enjoyed, yet how we get there and how long it takes has an impact on how we feel.

“The benefits of bus travel can outweigh the daily stresses of commuting by car, so with this week being national Catch the Bus Week, we’d like to encourage drivers to do something different and make at least one journey that would have been made by car, by bus instead.”

There are many other benefits to catching the bus – including helping the environment and improving your wellbeing – here’s five top reasons why you should switch a car journey to a bus trip this catch the bus week:

1. A fully loaded bus can take 75 cars off the road – Buses are key to tackling congestion and reducing emissions in the city – and in fact, the latest buses with Euro Vi engines, offer 95 per cent to 99 per cent reductions in the most harmful pollutants such as Nitrogen Oxide and particulates against the Euro II and Euro III buses they replace.

2. You can now pay for your bus via contactless – Since January 2018, First Scotland has been accepting contactless payments across its entire bus fleet – so there’s no need to worry about having the right change for the driver anymore.

3. An easy way to burn more calories and get regular exercise – Greener Journeys research found that the daily short walk to and from the bus stop and destination can burn 22,630 calories a year, with daily bus users clocking up the annual equivalent of 11 marathons. Both young and older people both use the bus to get exercise. 58 per cent of 25-34 year olds said the bus made them feel fitter healthier, as did half of those aged 65 or over.

4. Getting the bus can be less stressful than travelling by car – Dr Lewis, from the University of Sussex, conducted an experiment in which the heart rate and Electro-Dermal Response (EDR) of 30 commuters was measured when taking identical or similar journeys by car as a driver and by bus as a passenger – the results showed that driving a car is significantly more stressful than travelling by bus.

5. Bus travel can make you feel happier – A study of 18,000 British workers by a team at University of East Anglia found commuting that involved some physical activity improved measures like feelings of worthlessness, sleepless nights and unhappiness.

For full details of the Kids Go Free offer, visit www.firstgroup.com/greater-glasgow/kids-go-free.