Minibuses are providing free travel for residents in Watford who need somewhere warm to stay to keep their heating bills down.
In response to rising energy bills, free Welcoming Spaces have opened across the town for anyone to visit over the winter.
Refreshments are available in nearly all of the venues and no questions are asked about why you are there unless visitors would like advice. A full list of venues, such as libraries, community centres, and churches can be found here.
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Now, Watford Borough Council has confirmed people can travel to and from welcoming spaces for free on ArrivaClick buses.
Watford mayor Peter Taylor said: “I am proud that we have been able to work with local organisations to create a range of warm and welcoming spaces. Thanks to this ArrivaClick offer we can now make sure that everyone who needs to access the Welcoming Spaces is able to.
“Nobody should be cold this winter and we want to make sure we do everything we can to help deal with the cost of living emergency.”
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ArrivaClick is a demand response transport (DRT) initiative operated by bus company Arriva under a £1.5 million contract awarded by the council.
There has been some criticism in recent months about the low number of passengers using the service – a Watford taxi business owner claims DRT “will never work” but Mr Taylor is determined to do all he can to boost ridership.
Mr Taylor said: “Times like these really show the benefit of demand responsive transport such as ArrivaClick.
“As with the free rides to COVID vaccinations, we are able to tailor services to residents’ needs as they change.”
Passengers can book the free service via the ArrivaClick app which can be found by searching ‘ArrivaClick Watford’ in the Apple or Google Play stores or at www.watford.gov.uk/arrivaclick.
For free rides, passengers can use the code WELCOME22.
The buses operating times are 6am-10pm Monday to Thursday, 6am-11pm Friday and Saturday and 8am - 9pm on a Sunday.
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