North Devon will be able to enjoy free Sunday bus travel, but not for all

(Article from North Devon Gazette)

Residents and visitors in North Devon will be able to enjoy free Sunday bus travel on certain routes this June, thanks to a partnership between Stagecoach and Filers Travel.

The initiative, which is part of the DevonBus Partnership, aims to encourage weekend travel and promote the newly launched Sunday services.

Starting on June 2, and also on June 9 and 16, passengers will be able to travel for free on all Sunday bus services in and out of Barnstaple.

However, some locals are feeling left out of the deal, as they live in areas without a Sunday bus service.

One commenter wrote: “We are an hour from Barnstaple… The 85 doesn’t run on a Sunday… Bideford and Barnstaple win again… They can get to Ilfracombe, Croyde, Westward Ho! and all the other lovely places… Which I might add runs very frequently, whereas we have to wait two, sometimes three hours to catch a bus.”

Another commenter said: “We don’t get Sunday or bank holiday buses at Roundswell.”

A spokesperson for Stagecoach explained that the free Sunday travel initiative is a trial, and that only routes that operate fully within the North Devon boundary have been included.

The company hopes that the offer will encourage more people to use the bus for leisure purposes, such as visiting family and friends or exploring the local area.

Stagecoach said: “We are introducing this free Sunday travel initiative as a trial in partnership with Devon County Council who has funded the offer using the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) to encourage weekend travel and promote the newly launched Sunday services including the 155. Only routes that operate fully within the North Devon boundary have been included in this trial and depending on the outcome it may be introduced in other areas. Working with our local authority partners we continuously assess and review services for improvements and growth, this includes the 85 and 301 services which have both recently benefited from enhanced service levels thanks to support from the BSIP.”

The company explained on their website that: “The offer is designed to encourage more people to use the bus for leisure to explore their local area, visit family and friends and enjoy the scenic North Devon coast without the worry of transport costs.”

All bus journeys in Devon are still capped at a £2 single fare until December 2024.

Free travel is available on the following Stagecoach Services: