Perth and Kinross residents, shoppers and visitors will be able to get onboard their local bus services and enjoy free bus travel to celebrate Clean Air Day on Thursday, 19 June 2025.
Funding for the free bus travel initiative was agreed as part of the Council's 2025/26 budget, with an additional day to raise awareness about the danger of air pollution to communities.
Air pollution is linked to 43,000 deaths per year in the UK and is recognised by the World Health Organisation and the UK Government as the largest environmental threat to our health.
Continuing the success of the 2024 free bus travel offer, where 38,042 people took advantage of the offer, saving almost £108,000 in fares to those who travelled by bus, the initiative is designed to encourage people to get onboard their local bus services and travel sustainably.
On 19 June, people can take advantage of the free bus travel offer for journeys made fully in Perth and Kinross provided by local bus operators Stagecoach East Scotland, Docherty's Midland Coaches, Elizabeth Yule, Sweeney's Garage and Glenfarg Community Transport Group.
Passengers who have a free U22, 60+ or disabled concessionary bus pass should use their bus pass as normal to travel.
Councillor Grant Laing, Perth and Kinross Council Leader said: "Building on the success of last year's free bus travel initiative, I'm thrilled that this year, we are not only offering free bus on the first Saturday of every month, but an additional day has also been added to raise awareness of air pollution.
"On Clean Air Day, I would particularly encourage people who normally travel to work on a weekday to leave the car at home, save on parking and fuel and travel for free on your local bus. This could be the first step to loving your local bus."
Councillor Richard Watters, Convener of the Council's Climate Change and Sustainability Committee added: "I'm pleased to see the council taking meaningful action to tackle air pollution - not just on Clean Air Day but throughout the year.
"Initiatives like the free bus travel offer are encouraging people to get onboard their local bus service, helping to reduce carbon emissions. It's encouraging to see that over 38,000 people took advantage of the offer last year, highlighting growing support for sustainable travel. We are also fortunate that most of Stagecoach local bus services in Perth City are operated by electric buses.
"We're also making real progress in reducing emissions from our own operations. As part of the fleet decarbonisation strategy, 18 refuse collection vehicles have already switched to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), a cleaner alternative to diesel. Refuse collection vehicles based in Blairgowrie, Crieff, Kinross, and Pitlochry will also transition to HVO.
"Tayside Contracts has introduced "TayLow", a warm mix asphalt to be used in roads construction across Perth and Kinross. It uses less energy and can cut emissions by 5% and 15%, supporting more sustainable construction."
Councillor Liz Barrett, Vice-Convenor of the Council's Climate Change and Sustainability Committee continued "The new Kingsway, creating a 12km network of walking and cycling paths, connecting the neighbouring communities with Perth city centre is another step forward in offering people healthier, greener alternatives to car travel.
"Complementing this, our Nature Restoration Fund supports community-led projects that restore habitats, tackle biodiversity loss and strengthen nature networks that help filter air, absorb carbon and improve overall air quality.
"By working closely with our partners and communities, we'll continue to take action to reduce the harmful health effects of air pollution, especially for those most at risk including children, older people, people with health conditions and people who stay in the most polluted areas."
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