Reading Buses says it is already seeing a shift in the way work is being done in the town with many people now opting to work more from home.
The independent transport watchdog, Transport Focus, say that in their latest survey ‘Travel during Covid-19’, 49% of people said they would expect to work from home more in the future.
This has prompted calls for public transport to re-evaluate season tickets, to make them suitable for those who only travel to work a few days a week, rather than every day.
Said Robert Williams, Reading Buses Chief Executive Officer: “We are noticing that many people are now only travelling to work for some days of the week and not the normal five they were doing before lockdown.”
The good news is that Reading says that workers who are travelling to the office less can still make a significant saving on their bus travel.
It has prompted Reading Buses to remind people whose travel habits are changing that its flexible easysaver10 ticket – available on its smarcard or app – can save them money even if they are only at their place of work occasionally.
Where many of Reading’s workers are not in the office everyday and working from home becoming more common, customers can save by getting 10 single trips for less with the easysaver10 at just £16 online – saving up to 40p per trip.
Crucially, Easysaver10 is perfect as it never expires – the 10 pre-loaded single journeys stay on the app or smartcard until the holder is ready to use them.
Says Mr Williams: “So for someone who is at the office two days one week and none the next, their travel is ready for them to use whenever they need it.
“Each time you travel it deducts one journey, so you have the rest there ready to use another time – saving you money and peace of mind.
“The easysaver10 is a great way for these workers to pay less for their travel and have the flexibility that the ticket is there whenever they need it.
“Our customers want us to have flexible options to match their flexible working. With so many workers continuing to work from home and only being in the office occasionally, people want flexibility and not have to spend a lot.”
Reading’s smart, environmentally-friendly buses run up to every 7 minutes and many have free WiFi enabling travellers to catch up on their emails while on the move.
With Reading Buses being recognised by Visit England for ‘Good to Go’ safety certification, this is reflecting the commitment of Reading Buses to best practice guidelines surrounding Covid-19 measures.
