First Bus offers free travel to mark Remembrance weekend
- All veterans and Armed Forces personnel to travel for free.
- First Bus to donate £5,000 to Erskine Veterans Charity.
Bus operator First Bus is offering free travel for all veterans and Armed Forces personnel in Greater Glasgow travelling to Remembrance Day activities on Armistice Day (Saturday 11th November) and Remembrance Sunday (Sunday 12th November).
To be eligible for a free return journey, veterans and military personnel can either wear their military uniform or show the bus driver their Service ID card.
First Bus has a strong link with the Armed Forces community, with large numbers of veterans now working for the business. This gesture is First Bus’ way of showing gratitude to all those who serve or have served their country.
First Bus will also be donating £5,000 to Erskine Veterans Charity who provide unrivalled care, compassion and support to nearly 1,000 residents and their families each year.
During the First World War, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, the guns of the Western Front fell silent after more than four years of continuous warfare. Every year, this historic moment is commemorated with a two-minute silence on what is now known as Armistice Day.
Simon Pearson, Chief Commercial Officer at First Bus, said: “Remembrance Sunday is an important and solemn reminder of the sacrifices made by so many in our Armed Forces, and we wanted to do something to mark the occasion.
“We have a number of veterans working for First Bus across our Scotland depots and we’re very proud of their efforts and sacrifice. This is our way of saying thank you to them, as well as honouring all men and women who choose to serve and protect the freedoms our country now takes for granted.
Sara Bannerman, Head of Fundraising and Communications at Erskine Veterans Charity, said: “We extend our sincere thanks to First Bus for their donation of £5,000 in support of our veterans. This generous contribution will help provide vital care, support and ultimately improve the overall wellbeing and quality of life of veterans here at Erskine.
“We are also delighted to hear about the initiative offering free travel for veterans on Remembrance Day, which we are sure will be greatly appreciated by the veterans community. This support is testament to the commitment of First Bus to our veterans and their commitment to making a positive impact on the lives of those who served for our country.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
For more information, please contact Craig Dennett, PR Manager for First Bus Scotland at craig.dennett@firstbus.co.uk
Notes to Editors
About First Bus
First Bus is one of the UK’s largest bus operators. Making journeys easier for our customers, we were the first national bus operator to accept contactless card payments across all of our services and our First Bus App is voted ‘best in class’ amongst UK bus operators. Our most recent investments are in new, state-of-the-art buses across our key networks.
We work proactively with our local authority partners, making a positive impact on air quality, tackling congestion and improving customer experience. We are focused on First Bus becoming a leader in the transition to a low-carbon future and are committed to operating a zero-emission bus fleet by 2035; we have pledged not to purchase any new diesel buses after December 2022. We also operate the Aircoach network in Ireland.
First Bus is a division of FirstGroup.
For more information on First Bus: news-scot.firstbus.co.uk