Emergency bus tickets to be offered to the homeless

[dutchman]

National Express are looking to help the homeless get to hostels or medical appointments



Rough sleepers in Coventry and the West Midlands will be able to catch the bus to find a bed for the night, as part of a new scheme.

It means that those who are vulnerable can use bus services to get to hostels at night, or to medical or benefits appointments.

To do this, the bus company is working with outreach teams in all seven of the West Midlands council areas, including Coventry.

National Express West Midlands will be providing the tickets in the form of scratchcard day passes to frontline agencies who work with the West Midlands local authorities to tackle homelessness - such as the Coventry Salvation Army Outreach team.

Outreach workers from these agencies who make a specific appointment for a rough sleeper, such as a hostel place or healthcare appointment, can then issue a bus ticket on that day to the homeless person to get to their appointment.

Tom Stables, Managing Director of National Express West Midlands, said: “National Express has its headquarters in the heart of Digbeth in Birmingham, so we all understand how important it is to tackle homelessness.

“One bus ticket can get a rough sleeper to a place where they can get help - that could make all the difference in a crisis situation.”

Initially, the scheme will be run as a pilot, with National Express West Midlands working alongside the Homelessness Task Force and St Basil's to monitor its usefulness and effectiveness.