Reach your New Year’s goals with Metro
The New Year is a great time to make changes, even small ones. If your resolutions for the New Year include saving some green (money and greenhouse gas emissions), improving your health, or reclaiming a little extra time for yourself, then choosing to drive less and catch the bus more can help you make progress towards your goal.
How catching the bus can help achieve 5 of the world's most common New Year's resolutions:
Exercise more / lose weight - Travelling by bus often leads to a more active lifestyle. While people who drive will usually park in front of their house or destination, many bus users walk to a nearby stop or from the stop to their destination, adding some exercise into their day. Wanting to up the ante? Consider getting off your bus a few stops early to walk the rest of the way, or ride in one direction and pop your bike on the bus bike racks to travel the other direction home.
Save more money - If one of your resolutions is to save money, catching the bus more is a great way to go. Jumping on the bus can reduce how frequently you need to fill up your tank or pay for parking, which can create big wins for your savings goals over the span of the year. There are also concessions, fare caps and free transfers for the bus, making your money go even further.
Read more books - Want to churn through more books this year? Spend less time behind the wheel and jump on the bus to reclaim some "me time". Leaving the driving to us frees up your eyes and hands to pick up a novel and get reading. Even a 15-minute commute to work and back, five days a week, will have you spending 2.5 hours (150 minutes!) each week with your nose in a book.
Learn something, get organised, or catch up with loved ones! - Picking up a book is one way to spend your free time on the bus, but there's plenty of other ways to make the most of the downtime. Catch up on your messages to friends, write an email to your aunty, book those appointments you've been putting off, crack into a hobby like crochet or crosswords, learn a new language, or just stare out the window and let the mind wander.
Reduce your carbon footprint - Transport is the largest contributor to Christchurch's greenhouse gas emissions, so driving less and bussing more goes a long way towards reducing your emissions footprint. 28% of our fleet is already electric or low emission, and this is expected to rise to 40% by the end of this year. There's plenty happening in the environmentally sustainable and socially responsible public transport space in Canterbury.
It's never too late to make a New Year's resolution that will have a lasting impact on you, your wallet, or your environment. Remember, changing your behaviour doesn't have to be all or nothing. Even one extra bus trip a month makes a difference. Ready to get started? Plan your journey.