Hednesford residents are being encouraged to leave their car at home and shop locally, following the introduction of a free bus service that will help the town to cut emissions and boost trade in the town centre.
Launched by Hednesford Town Council and in partnership with Chaserider, the ‘Hednesford Hopper’ will transport local people from different pick-up locations from around the town, with drop off points located in the centre itself.
Councillor Paul Woodhead says: “Now more than ever, I think it is important to support our local shops and high streets, and our hope with this new bus service is that more people will hop on and off to do their shopping.”
The first outing for the Hopper will be on Saturday 27 November to coincide with the town’s renowned Farmers’ Market, which welcomes in excess of 70 stalls each month and crowds of more than 10,000 people.
Subsequent Hopper journeys will coincide with the town’s monthly market days as well as the much-anticipated Christmas lights switch-on.
Mayor of Hednesford Councillor Emma Hunneyball said: “With our lights and decorations going up in the lead up to Christmas we couldn’t think of a better time to launch this new and free service.
“In addition to the ease of hopping on and off the bus to shop local, we think it’s a really positive move for the town and will incentivise more people to stay closer to home to do their shopping.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming many local residents aboard.”
Keith Myatt, Head of Business Development at Chaserider Buses, said: “We’re pleased to work in partnership with Hednesford Town Council to bring free bus travel to and from Hednesford town centre for local residents making it much easier to visit the popular town centre for the Christmas Lights Switch On, Market Days and Small Business Saturday.
“Simply park the car at home then board our bus, it’s as easy as that. Scan a QR Code and travel to or from Hednesford town centre on routes 25, 26, 62 or 63 – it’s much less fuss when you travel with Chaserider Bus”
To benefit from free bus travel, residents are encouraged to scan the QR code on the Hednesford Town Council website, Visit Hednesford Facebook page or bring a copy of the free Council publication Hednesford Life which includes a ticket and present it on the bus.
The free tickets can be used for an individual or a whole family and enable the user to hop on and off the Chaserider bus in Hednesford during the free times.