Record numbers of people hop on the one1ink bus in Crewe

 

Record numbers of people are taking advantage of a door-to-door bus service linking them to Crewe’s key employment and retail sites.

Thanks to £1m worth of funding sourced by Cheshire East Council and operated in partnership with D&G Bus, an increasing number of people in Crewe every month are now choosing the one1ink service, with around 2,300 individual journeys being made each week.

This is over four times more than the 500 individual journeys that were made in January this year, when the service began.

It links the north of the town and Bentley Motors to the south and Crewe Business Park, calling at the bus station in the town centre, Grand Junction Retail Park and Crewe Railway Station.

Now, the Council is asking: ‘Have you one1inked yet?’ Zoe Pemberton, 25, of Queen Street in Crewe, has.

She said: “I use one1ink to get to work on the business park on Electra Way. I don’t drive so it is the only way I can get to work on time after the school run without using taxis.

“I like using the bus service because it is regular and makes it less hassle to get to work.”

Councillor David Topping, Cabinet member in charge of the environment, said: “The one1ink service is very special to Crewe and is the start of something we hope to expand to enable more residents to use the bus service to get to work, hopefully taking more cars off the roads.

“I have met a few of the regular one1ink users and one told me it was like a lifeline to her and others tell me it is an excellent service ‘in every way’. I am sure the people of Crewe will continue to use it as a key mode of transport to get around the town.”

He added: “This is all part of our Smarter Ways to Travel campaign and All Change for Crewe to help people in the town choose more sustainable ways to make their daily journeys.

“By using public transport or cycling, walking and car-sharing, people can save money, improve their health and fitness, reduce traffic congestion and CO2 emissions to improve air quality and make Crewe a healthier place for everyone.”

Crewe is becoming increasingly congested but 60 per cent of all journeys to work are made by car, although nearly half of all commuting journeys are less than five miles.

Only 12 per cent are made by walking, eight per cent by car sharing, six per cent by cycling, three per cent by bus or coach, two per cent by train and one per cent by motorcycle. A total of seven per cent of Crewe residents work at home.

It is hoped that one1ink, with its fleet of high-specification buses with more comfortable leather seating and free Wi-Fi access, will have some impact on these figures.

Central Government funding for the service was achieved through the Department for Transport’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF).

The Council was awarded more than £3.5 million through the fund to implement a range of sustainable transport measures in Crewe, of which the new bus service is the first.

For more information on one1ink, visit www.allchangeforcrewe.co.uk/bus