A YORK bus operator is proving just the ticket for the charity after throwing its weight behind a national public transport campaign.

First in York is supporting Catch The Bus Week, which starts on Monday, and at the same time hopes to raise about £20,000 for Macmillan, FirstGroup’s national charity partner. When customers register their extra First York journey on the First website – firstgroup.com – £1 will be donated to Macmillan. In addition, customers will also be able to take part in an X-Factor-style online vote to decide which local charity can benefit from extra donations.

Catch The Bus Week 2013 is supported by many of the country’s bus operators and will run from Monday to May 5. The campaign aims to increase awareness of the benefits of bus travel across the UK. Simon Pearson, commercial director for First in north England, said: “We wanted to do something a little bit different to encourage people to use the bus during Catch the Bus Week.

So, if customers use the bus more than they would normally next week, we want them to register those extra journeys with us on-line so that we can donate £1 to Macmillan. “Macmillan is a wonderful charity and I’m pleased that our initiative will provide vital support to people affected by cancer in West and North Yorkshire and across the UK.”