Bolton Wanderers FC Reebok Stadium, Middlebrook

BOLTON Wanderers are keen to make sure the club does its bit to help the environment by subsidising buses for fans helping keep cars off the road.

Since its move from Burnden Park on Manchester Road to the Reebok Stadium in Horwich, in 1997, the club has provided its home fans with a bus service.

Over the last 13 years, this has evolved into a service that operates 54 routes, inward and outward, using 30 double decker buses.

The bus fleet has a dedicated car park at the stadium and buses are given priority when leaving after the game.

The scheme is operated in partnership with First Bus, Bolton Council transport department and the police and the £1.50 fare is significantly subsidised by BWFC.

The bus service removes more than 1,500 cars from the road network during a home game and generates a significant CO2 saving.

The club has calculated that in the 10 years since the bus system has been in operation it has saved the equivalent of 719,891 kgs or 719.891 tons of CO2 emissions.

BWFC was founded in 1877 and in April 1888 became one of the 12 clubs that formed the Football League.

The club moved to Burnden Park in 1895 and remained there until 1997 when it moved to its present loaction at the Reebok Stadium.

The club intends to continue operating the home game bus service, to encourage fans to leave their cars at home.

The bus service is reviewed annually after feedback from customers and partner organisations and will continue to be improved to make it more efficient.

BWFC Operations manager David Paveley said: “We are looking forward to the awards night and we feel that it is a vindication of all the hard work that everyone here has put in.”