Electric buses in Harrogate to be free on Sundays

Four electric bus routes in Harrogate will be free on Sundays following a successful trial in March which saw a 70% rise in customer numbers.

Harrogate Bus Company will continue their ‘Sunday Freeway’ promotion thanks to sponsorship from The Spirit of Harrogate, owners of Slingsby Gin, after electric buses provided a free service into the North Yorkshire town every Sunday in March.

They were the first bus firm in Yorkshire to win funding from the government’s Low Emission Bus Scheme, which saw of £2.25m invested into to helping bring eight electric buses to the town.

Harrogate Bus Company CEO Alex Hornby said: ‘This is amazing news for everyone in Harrogate. This welcome funding means we can continue running our free Harrogate Electrics buses every Sunday, which deliver a significant boost to other locally owned businesses in the town centre.

‘It’s particularly encouraging to be able to count on such generous support from The Spirit of Harrogate — we’re both proud to be based in this beautiful town and like us, they fully appreciate the positive contribution these free buses are making to Harrogate’s Sunday economy.’

The company are planning to plant one tree for every 10,000 miles covered by their electric buses, and they estimate 40 trees will be planted in woodland areas around Harrogate every year.

Free travel for all customers on routes 2A, 2B, 3 and 6 will continue for at least the next four months.