Residents of Rugeley and surrounding areas can enjoy a free session at the town’s leisure centre during the autumn half-term break – if they show a bus ticket for that day on entry.
The offer is available on all tickets throughout the half-term break. It’s part of a county council bus travel scheme which is looking to find out how people use buses and then improve it to help to enhance connectivity, reliability and accessibility.
Over 16s can use the gym or swimming pool whilst under 16s can use the pool only for free with a bus ticket. The offer doesn’t include the inflatables pool sessions.
Run by the county council’s transport team, the scheme will test initiatives to see what works in practice and how services can be enhanced for communities across the county.
A public survey is running to help gain better understanding how people travel and what changes would encourage greater use of bus services.
By teaming up with Cannock Chase Council’s leisure services, it is hoped the offer will raise awareness of the project and how easy it is to use buses in and around the town. The offer is available each day from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November.
Before travelling, over 16s need to sign up online and enter ‘bus travel’ in the Extra information box. They can access the offer on the Everyone Active webpage. Anyone under 16 can just go to the leisure centre reception on the day and present their valid bus ticket.
Andrew Mynors, Cabinet Member for Connectivity at Staffordshire County Council, said:
Improved connectivity across our county by providing convenient and cost-effective transport options is a priority to the county council. Our transport team wants to better understand people’s use of local buses, and importantly how bus travel can be improved
The leisure centre offer is a great way of connecting with people and getting them involved and we’d like to thank Cannock Chase Council and the leisure centre team for supporting us. We’d encourage families to make the most of the offer, get on board and have a fun and healthy morning or afternoon out at Rugeley Leisure Centre.
Rugeley’s local attributes make it an ideal location for this initiative, meaning we can get the most out of the study and hopefully lay the foundations for lasting improvements not only for this town, but communities across Staffordshire. After its evaluation, we can look to carry out similar projects to improve bus services in other areas.
We’d urge people now to complete the survey and help to shape future public transport improvements in their town.”
Andrew added that with a host of half-term events taking place in Rugeley, including the Halloween Market in Market Square on Saturday 31 October, people should try their local bus service as a travel option. They can find out more about Rugeley services in the county council website.
Mark Deakin, Cannock Chase Council's Portfolio Leader for Leisure, Culture and Heritage, said:
We're delighted to be supporting this innovative initiative, which encourages people to travel sustainably while enjoying the fantastic facilities available at Rugeley Leisure Centre.
This offer provides a great opportunity for residents and families to stay active during the half-term break, while also highlighting the benefits and convenience of local bus services. We hope as many people as possible take advantage of this free offer and enjoy a fun, healthy day out."
People can complete the survey online here.
Through the year-long trial, the transport team will look at bus service reliability, accessibility at bus stops, providing clearer passenger information and raising awareness of available services. It will also explore how fare offers and promotions could encourage more people to choose the bus for everyday journeys.
