Take a free bus ride for car-free day

As the world celebrates being carfree for a day, Taranaki residents will be able to catch the bus for no charge.

September 22 is World CarFree Day, which encourages people to get around by bike, on foot or by public transport instead of driving cars. It takes place in more than 2000 cities in 46 countries.

‘‘It’s an ideal opportunity to reward our regular passengers, and to encourage more people to give the buses a go,’’ said Chris Clarke, passenger services manager for the Taranaki Regional Council, which runs the region’s Citylink, Connector and Southlink services.

Bus travel will be free of charge on the Ha¯ wera-New Plymouth Connector services on Friday, September 21, Citylink (excluding school buses) on Friday, September 21 and Saturday, September 22, and the Southlink weekly services on September 18, 20 and 21.

Clarke said Car-Free Day would hopefully get people thinking about the benefits of bus travel.

‘‘It’s better for the planet and it’s better for the user in terms of the exercise you get walking to and from the bus stop, the money you save on car-running costs and parking, as well as the chance to socialise with others in your neighbourhood,’’ Clarke said.

‘‘And the more people that use the buses, the better we can make the service, as part of taking Taranaki forward,’’ he said.