City Zipper bus scheme aims to cut Hereford's car use

City Council clerk Steve Kerry said the "City Zipper" buses should get more people out of their cars in Hereford

A free city centre bus service in Hereford is aimed at cutting the number of people driving in the area, the city council said.

The City Zipper scheme will see three electric buses operating on a circular route from next summer.

The project has been funded with £1.7m from government's Towns Fund.

"The whole point is to encourage people to leave the car, come in by train, to come in by coach," the authority's clerk Steve Kerry said.

The scheme is part of a series of projects for the city under the banner Stronger Hereford which also includes moving Hereford's library into the Maylord Orchard shopping centre.

The scheme aims to boost the amount of bus use in Hereford

The scheme will be free for at least three years, the council said, and each bus will have 22 seats along with standing room.

They will operate on a loop from the railway station to key sites - including the city centre, hospital and cathedral - before returning to the station.

The aim is to reduce car use in the city and encourage residents and tourists to spend more time there, Mr Kerry said.

"[It is] so they don't just go to one place and see it and then go away, we want them to explore Hereford and be able to move around within it," he added.