The Harrogate Bus Company helps Starbeck students get around town with free travel

Christmas has come early for students at Harrogate' s Personalised Learning College after the town's leading bus operator, The Harrogate Bus Company, stepped in to help them travel and boost their independence.

The big-hearted bus firm is providing free passes for a group of specialist needs students and support staff who go by bus into town together each week as part of a travel training programme aimed at building their confidence in using public transport.

The move follows on from The Harrogate Bus Company's travel sponsorship announced in the summer for younger students and their teachers from the nearby Springwater School in Starbeck, to help them to get around town and gain travel skills along the way.

Amy Morrell, Personalised Learning College tutor, said: "This academic year, I'm delivering some very much needed travel training to our students, who have a range of learning and physical disabilities.

"While some have concessionary bus passes or the funds to pay as they go, it's not always the case or they may forget to carry their own passes - and that's why we're so grateful that The Harrogate Bus Company has kindly agreed to support us with complimentary travel on all its buses.

"The travel training is vital to help our learners open up their independence, and to help them access work placements, with the ultimate aim of helping them to live fulfilling lives within the wider community here in Harrogate.

"All of us at the Personalised Learning College are very grateful to The Harrogate Bus Company for their support - it really will make an enormous positive difference to their training and life chances."

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The Harrogate Bus Company's General Manager, Steve Ottley, said: "We're delighted to extend our free travel support to students and staff taking part in travel training - it's more important now than ever that we do everything we can to make travel safe and enjoyable for them.

"Our buses can be the gateway to a brighter and happier future for the College's students and making sure they have the confidence to travel independently is key to helping them feel a valued part of our local community.

"We're looking forward to welcoming them onto our buses, including our Route 1 between Harrogate, Starbeck and Knaresborough which passes the Personalised Learning College up to every seven minutes."

Based on Starbeck High Sreet, Harrogate's Personalised Learning College enables young people to access local learning opportunities, leading to community participation and wherever possible independent living or employment."

Full details of all bus services run by The Harrogate Bus Company are available at https://www.transdevbus.co.uk/harrogate and via the free to download 'Transdev Go' mobile app.

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