Carbon savings in St Andrews University bus scheme equals 3m fudge doughnuts

A variety of images synonymous with the town and its wider community including fudge doughnuts, red gowns, and golf balls will feature on the side of single-decker buses on the local Stagecoach fleet over the next few weeks.

The carbon-saving is the result of a pioneering project launched by the University of St Andrews and Stagecoach in November 2022 in response to cost-of-living pressures and the climate crisis. The scheme - which offers staff and students 75% off bus travel across East Scotland - saved £700,000 in fares and cut the carbon footprint for those travelling for work or study by a phenomenal 614 tonnes in 2023.

The advertising campaign demonstrates how much carbon can be saved when people choose to use the bus and leave their cars at home. In this case, the carbon saving equates to the same weight as three million fudge doughnuts, 409,000 red gowns and 13.3 million golf balls.

Derek Watson, University of St Andrews chief operating officer said: “The bus subsidy was just one in a series of initiatives launched by the university to support our students and staff through the cost-of-living crisis. Since then, we’ve seen upwards of 2000 people, mostly staff, using the bus discount every month, and the feedback we’ve had is that it’s significantly helped cut costs in these challenging times.

“As well as financial benefits, we’ve also seen a welcome reduction in the carbon footprint of those travelling to work, usually by car, by a massive 614 tonnes; that exceeds all our expectations. We hope the bus advertising campaign will help promote the discount further and help support our ambitious target to be carbon neutral by 2035.”

Scott Hall,Stagecoach East Scotland, head of commercial, welcomed the scheme’s success, adding: “This positive approach has demonstrated strong results and massive cost savings for those signed up and we’re pleased to be able to support another operator, Moffat & Williamson, in providing discounted tickets via the Stagecoach Bus app too.”

As a result of its success, the University has continued the discount scheme for a further 12 months.