City Safe Zone Bus geared up for return to action

DUNDEE’S Safe Zone Bus is heading back on to the city’s streets.

The Xplore Dundee-backed project picked up a silver prize at the UK Bus Awards in the ‘Bus and the Community’ category, which recognises industryleading examples of partnership community work.

The initiative is a multi-agency partnership involving Xplore Dundee, Police Scotland, Scottish Ambulance Service, Dundee City Alcohol and Drug Partnership, Dundee Community Safety Team, Cair Scotland, the British Red Cross and Dundee Street Chaplains.

The yellow single-decker provides a safe and welcoming place in the city centre at weekends for anyone who needs help of any kind and it is manned by volunteers and experts in health and social care.

Since its launch in June 2015, the bus has helped more than 700 people for a wide variety of reasons, including those under the influence of alcohol or drugs, young people who’d lost friends, clubbers who had no money to get home or people needing advice or someone to talk to.

The bus is due back in the city centre from this Friday and into the New Year, with breaks over the Christmas and New Year weekends.

Eric Knox, director of Tayside Council on Alcohol, said: “Safe Zone Bus could not operate as effectively and as regularly as it does without the support of Xplore Dundee. The company’s involvement has been crucial to our success and has literally helped to keep the bus on the road and serving the city centre community.

“I am extremely grateful to Xplore for helping us to get the bus back on the streets again and it’s a real boost to know that the success of our partnership has been recognised by the bus industry.”

Picture shows Safe Zone Bus team members (from left) Nicole Phillips, Arwen Elder and Holly Jones.