A bus operator is offering free travel to members of the Armed Forces and veterans this weekend.
Stagecoach East has made the gesture to coincide with Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday as a sign of gratitude for their service to the nation.
Free travel – which includes the operator’s trams – will be available across the UK for military, cadets, and ex-military personnel on Saturday and Sunday.
This can be accessed by serving personnel in uniform, via a military ID card, veterans wearing medals or veterans’ badge, and cadets in uniform attending remembrance services.
“Stagecoach is proud to have thousands of veterans in our employment, so recognising the significance of Remembrance weekend with free travel is essential,” said Sam Greer, Stagecoach chief operating officer.
“Remembrance Day and the Poppy Appeal are causes close to the hearts of many of our employees and customers and we are very pleased to be making this commitment that will hopefully help people to attend memorials across the UK.”
Sam Berkson, national account manager for defence relationship management, said: “I’d like to thank Stagecoach for this public and very visible commitment to the Armed Forces community.
“It is clear that Stagecoach recognises the benefits of being a Forces-friendly employer and I look forward to their continued support for Defence and advocacy for its people.”
The commitment to free travel for the Armed Forces is supported by Stagecoach’s employee-led Veterans Network.
The network was launched to allow Stagecoach colleagues to come together as one voice to make change, raise awareness, help influence business decisions and introduce new ways of working to make the company even stronger.
Stagecoach has also been a member of the Armed Forces Covenant since March 2015.
Recently, the operator was awarded Silver by the Armed Forces covenant for its commitment to the community.
The Covenant recognises the value of serving personnel, regular and reservists, veterans and military families to both the country and businesses across the country.
Darren Roe, managing director of Stagecoach East, added: “As a group, Stagecoach is proud to show its support for our military personnel past and present.
“We often talk about being at the heart of our communities, but it is the men and women of our armed services who put their lives on the line to protect those communities.
“That’s why we’re delighted the Veterans Employee Network have successfully agreed a Stagecoach-wide commitment to offer free travel for all military and ex-military personnel and cadets on Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day.
“We all owe a debt of gratitude to those who put themselves forward to defend our freedoms and way of living, and so we are proud to do our bit on these very special days.”
