Hull City Council, Stagecoach and East Yorkshire Buses are working together to encourage residents, businesses and communities in Hull to make more sustainable travel choices and help clean up our air this Clean Air Day (Thursday 20 June).
Air pollution is linked to 43,000 deaths per year in the UK, with both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UK Government, recognising that air pollution is the largest environmental threat to health.
Improving air quality is good in many ways. It not only benefits our physical and mental health, but it also benefits the environment.
The physical health impacts of air pollution – such as asthma, heart disease and cancers – have been recognised for decades, but, more recently, researchers are beginning to understand how air pollution can affect the brain and the mind.
The council, working alongside local bus operators, Stagecoach and East Yorkshire Buses, through the Hull Bus Alliance, will be hosting a drop-in event at Queen Victoria Square, in Hull city centre, on Thursday 20 June, from 10am-2pm, to promote the benefits of travelling by bus, as well as to hear feedback from residents about services in the city and to answer any questions about the recent announcement about planned service improvements in Hull, through the delivery of the bus service improvement plan (BSIP).
People will also be able to see an electric bus and ask any questions about the council and bus operators’ plans to roll out the vehicles in the city.
Kerry Ryan, head of transport and traffic management at Hull City Council, said: “Highlighting more sustainable transport options, like bus travel, that are available in the city is a positive way that we, as a council, can make a difference this Clean Air Day.
“As an authority, we are committed to achieving net zero by 2045, and one of the ways we will achieve this is by changing how we deliver public transport, such as the introduction of electric buses, and by encouraging and supporting people to make different choices in how they get about day-to-day, whether that is for leisure, for their daily commute or for any other reason.
“By working with our partners and hosting events, such as the one planned for Clean Air Day, we are not only providing our residents, businesses and communities with the information they need, we are also delivering on the priorities set out in our community plan of developing safe and welcoming neighbourhoods, creating a healthier and fairer Hull and responding to the climate and nature emergency.”
Matt Cranwell, managing director of Stagecoach East Midlands, said: “Bus services have a key role in ensuring cleaner air, especially as we progress to more hybrid and electric buses across the country.
“Stagecoach East Midlands has reducing emissions engrained in our values, therefore supporting local events like this are crucial in helping to encourage behavioural change in the way people travel.”
Stuart Fillingham, head of commercial for East Yorkshire Buses, said: “We are proud to be supporting Clean Air Day events with our partners.
“Our commitment to promoting sustainable travel options is key to reducing traffic congestion and positively impacting the environment and the wellbeing of our community.
“We encourage everyone to participate by choosing to travel by bus on this important day.”
To find out more about how to travel around Hull by bus, visit: www.travelhull.co.uk/bus
