Bus company offers bike and car commute package deal

Go North East has launched a membership offer which gives a discount on bus travel and includes an option to also have free membership of a car share club and a bike sharing scheme.

The Newcastle-based company has created Key Lifestyle, a ‘get rid of your car’ package deal for commuters.

CTC’s train and bus expert Dave Holladay believes this is the first such scheme in the UK. It’s a joined-up concept common in other EU countries, such as the Infotec scheme in Belgium.

Members of Key Lifestyle get a 15 percent discount on bus travel on Tyneside and can also opt in to membership of Commonwheels, the car share club, and Scratch Bikes, Newcastle’s pay-as-you-go bike sharing scheme. Membership of each scheme normally costs £25.

“At last, a transport operator selling the complete product,” said Holladay.

Go North East is not just encouraging customers to switch to non-car travel it also wants to remove old cars from the road:

“Scrap your car and get double its value back in free bus travel with Go North East. We’ll arrange for your car to be valued and then convert this value into free bus travel. For every £100 your car is worth you’ll get two months of travel.”