Travelling around Sheffield will be even easier from next Monday (29 October) when the new free city centre bus service – the FreeBee - is launched.
And to celebrate the service, radio station Hallam FM will be giving one lucky passenger the opportunity to win a holiday for two in Las Vegas worth £1,000.
Buses will run around the city centre from Sheffield Interchange via Flat Street, Castle Street (for the markets), Arundel Gate, Norfolk Street, Pinstone Street (for the Town Hall/Fargate), Furnival Gate, Charter Row, Moorfoot, Eyre Street, Furnival Street, Paternoster Row (for Sheffield Station) and back to the interchange.
Buses will run every seven minutes from 0700 to 1900 on weekdays and from 0800 to 1900 on Saturdays.
David Young, Head of Transport Integration at South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE), said: “This is great news for Sheffield as it will give a wide range of people the chance to travel easily and for free around the city centre. Not only are people getting a free city centre bus service, they could even win a trip to Las Vegas!”
FreeBee is being funded by SYPTE and was given the green light by South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority (SYPTA) back in September. It is just one of the cutting edge initiatives being introduced by SYPTA which was recently named PTA of the Year at the National Transport Awards.
The service will be operated by three brand new, low floor, environmentally-friendly buses carrying the Travel South Yorkshire livery. They will be operated by TM Travel.
Councillor Bryan Lodge, Cabinet Member for Transport and Streetscene at Sheffield City Council, said: “The FreeBee will transform Sheffield’s city centre offering, improving accessibility and connection for all transport users. The city centre landscape has changed dramatically over the last 10 years. The FreeBee will link all of the key city destinations.”
Starting from Monday, Hallam FM will be running a promotion called 'Lucky 7' giving seven
listeners the chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime holiday to America. Seven people will be chosen to travel on the FreeBee service on Saturday, 10 November and take part in seven minute challenges around the route.
For more information about the service or the treasure hunt competition visit travelsouthyorkshire.com or listen to Hallam FM.