16 May
Nottingham’s bus network is award winning, and last year we asked for your thoughts on bus and tram services in the city. Here’s what you said…
1. In Nottingham, we’re proud to keep it local 🏙️
Most other bus networks in the UK are dominated by the “Big 5” (Arriva, First, Go-Ahead, National Express and Stagecoach). In Nottingham, however, the biggest bus operators in the city (Nottingham City Transport, trentbarton and CT4N) are locally owned, meaning that they care about Nottingham and its transport network. In fact – Nottingham is bucking the national trend of declining passenger journeys!
“Nottingham has fabulous public transport facilities, one of the best cities in the UK in my opinion.”
– Female, 25-34
2. Our bus drivers are award winning! 🏆🥇
Our bus companies have award-winning bus drivers, making the journeys more enjoyable for all. At the 2018 UK Bus Awards, Aaron Johnson from NCT won the Gold Award and James Kearney from trentbarton won the Bronze Award in the “Top National Bus Driver” category.
“Thank you to the bus drivers who are professional, wonderfully kind and courteous. I appreciate their work very much.”
– Female, 55-64
3. Our buses are green 🌍💚
Travelling by bus is environmentally friendly, and helps to make the city a cleaner and safer place for those living in and visiting Nottingham. Across the network, electric, biogas, and Euro VI buses help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. By making the choice to travel by bus in Nottingham, you too can drastically reduce your carbon footprint.
“I am pleased that there are a lot of buses running on battery power or another less polluting fuel.”
– Male, 65-74
4. Travel is easy with Robin Hood 🏹🌳
Multiple ticketing options make travelling by bus easier for all, no matter what your travel habits may be. In Nottingham, you can choose to pay for the bus with cash, a smartcard (whether that be for the Robin Hood network or for an individual operator), or on NCT’s mobile app.
“Really pleased to have a Robin Hood card as it gives choice, flexibility, and it is a good price. I also don’t have to worry about change.”
– Female, 45-54
5. Keeping it real 🚍🚏
The Real Time Information (RTI) systems remove the stress of uncertainty from your journey. Nottingham’s buses are fitted with GPS trackers, which feed their location to the signs and inform you of the whereabouts of your bus.
“It is fantastic. The live times at stops are so helpful, and the buses nearly always run on time.”
– Female, 65-74
6. Getting you from A to B 🚌🗺️
Our buses provide vital links to various locations across the city, with over 80 bus routes travelling into the city centre at least every half an hour. You can shop ’til you drop at intu Victoria Centre, hop from bus to tram or train at Nottingham Railway Station, or step into nature at Wollaton Hall and Deer Park.
“It’s clean, punctual, frequent, and goes everywhere in the city.”
– Male, 65-74
7. Living life in the fast lane ⚡️🚀
In Nottingham, we understand the importance of getting from A to B quickly, and with ease. That is why bus lanes, bus-only roads, and traffic light priority have been introduced to make sure that your bus journeys are as quick and easy as you would expect them to be.
“Generally I think there is a good service. Buses are usually clean, drivers are polite, and most of my route is a bus lane.”
– Female, 25-34
8. Improving access ♿️👂🏻
On-board stop announcements (audio and visual), low floor buses and wheelchair spaces make Nottingham buses accessible and user-friendly.
“The announcements on many local buses and real-time information is brilliant. I can’t always recognise where I am due to sign loss, so audible announcements are a God-send. Well done to Nottingham for getting this in place.”
– Female, 45-54
9. Make the most of your journey 🤳🏾🎧
The buses in Nottingham provide you with a journey free from the stress of traffic and other drivers, and allows you to have more time for you. You can read a book, listen to music or a podcast, chat to friends, and give yourself time to wake up fully in the mornings or de-stress at the end of the day. And with free Wi-Fi on most buses, and USB charging on the new biogas buses, you’ll never be bored.
“Years ago I decided to avoid buying a new car, and to instead experiment for one year and see if things were do-able using only public transport. Because of your great service, I’ve found it really works for me, and though I miss the pleasure of driving, on the whole I find travel to be less stressful now.”
– Female, 55-64
10. Take the stress out of your trip 💆🏽♀️🧘🏻♂️
Nottingham’s extensive bus network is so brilliant that you do not need to stress about driving into the city and finding parking. In fact, you may no longer need a car at all – especially when travelling into the city centre!
“The number of public transport routes and the frequency of services is one of the reasons we felt comfortable giving up our car. Our friends said that we were made, but we felt confident that the services available from Sherwood in Nottingham were good enough that we don’t need our own transport!”
– Female, 25-34
