Wokingham Borough Council will offer free bus travel on the six Saturdays leading up to Christmas.
This news follows on from a decision made last week to offer free town centre parking for those attending Christmas events in Wokingham and Woodley, and the decision not to continue with free parking for shoppers in town centre car parks in the run-up to Christmas.
In a statement, Wokingham Borough Council confirmed the free travel and parking are being paid for from national grant funding, and do not come at cost to
the local taxpayer.
The decision is set to be made by Cllr Paul Fishwick, executive member for active travel, transport and highways this week.
Cllr Fishwick said: “Offering free bus travel on Saturdays in November and December and for the Sunday Wokingham Winter Carnival and Woodley Christmas Extravaganza would be a great help to a lot of our residents.
“The free bus travel would help people who don’t drive, prefer not to drive or are struggling to afford to run their car at the moment, whether visiting friends and family, stocking up on festive gifts and treats or getting to and from work.
“If it has been a while since you have taken the bus, why not take advantage of a free trip to see what you’ve been missing.”
Wokingham Borough Council has put forward proposals to use around £47,000 of a £400,000 grant, which was awarded to the council by the Department for Transport (DfT) for bus improvements to fund the free travel, meaning there is no cost to the council.
If agreed, the free bus travel will run each Saturday from November 18 until December 23 for services starting in the borough, as well as extra free travel for those travelling to and from the Wokingham Winter Carnival and Woodley Christmas Extravaganza on specific routes.
The council has already agreed free town centre parking for visitors to Wokingham Winter Carnival and Woodley Christmas Extravaganza, thanks to an economic development grant, which will cover the shortfall in income of around £12,000.
Cllr Clive Jones, executive member for business and economic development, said: “Wokingham and Woodley’s festive events are hugely popular and bring thousands of people into the towns.
“By offering free parking, and planning free bus travel as well, we’ll help everyone attending the festivals and all those people who run the stalls that make these such great community events.
“We are working on a range of activities to support our local businesses.
“We know it’s a difficult time for them and being able to provide free bus travel on the major shopping days leading up to Christmas should help encourage footfall for them.
“And, because it’s being paid for entirely by a DfT grant, there is no extra cost to our taxpayers.”
If you board a bus within Wokingham borough on any Saturday between November 18 and December 23, you won’t need to pay. Additionally, the Lion 4/X4 will be free on November 26 for the Wokingham Winter Carnival, and the Orange 13/14 on December 3 for the Woodley Christmas Extravaganza.
If you’re travelling outside the borough, you will need to pay for your return journey unless a similar scheme is in place in the area where you board.
This initiative will only be on local buses, operated by Reading Buses and Thames Valley Buses and won’t be provided on services such as park and rides or football specials.
A full list of the free services is available from the council’s website here.
