Five Year 7 and 8 students from Leeds have been named the winners of an exciting creative challenge launched by Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire. Delivered by Ahead Partnership for a third year, the Bus to the Future challenge was designed to engage young people in driving the future of greener, more sustainable travel, aligned with wider efforts to tackle the Climate Change Emergencies declared within the region.
The challenge was the culmination of a broader transport and green skills education programme from bus operators Arriva, First, Transdev and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA), together forming the West Yorkshire Bus Alliance. The activities are designed to help inspire young people to learn more about the public transport sector and understand and promote greener modes of travel through “hands-on” activities and real-life challenge briefs.
Bus to the Future saw secondary school and college students from across West Yorkshire invited to create a piece of media, such as a poster, animation or a TikTok, that would persuade friends and family to take the bus.
The winning design was created by Harriet; Chioma; Eve; Tula; and Frost, who are members of the Humanities Club at Lawnswood School. The students created a video to communicate the individual, societal and environmental benefits of getting the bus to other young people.
Stephanie Burras CBE, chief executive at Ahead Partnership, said:
“Announcing the winners of the 2022 Bus to the Future challenge has been a fantastic way to mark the success of the past three years of the West Yorkshire Bus Alliance Education programme.
“Throughout the initiative, the bus operators and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority have been driving forward the greener travel agenda with a range of exciting activities and events for young people right across the region such as careers panels, youth forums, lesson resources, primary World of Bus days as well as this innovative challenge. Seeing the creativity of the entries to this year’s challenge has only proved the value of embracing different perspectives and harnessing the innovation of younger generations to tackle the real-world challenges that our society faces.”
