Chatty bus is an initiative that seeks to combat loneliness across the UK. It was started by the Go-Ahead Group in January 2019 in response to the government’s loneliness strategy. Research at this time revealed that three in 10 Brits go one day a week without speaking to anyone close to them.
The objectives of the project include:
- Combating loneliness in Go-Ahead’s regions across all age ranges
- Championing the bus as a safe, friendly space for people to be able to communicate
- Demonstrating the social importance of the bus
The aim was to create a long-running campaign that would help bus companies to focus on the loneliness needs of their local area. Bus company East Yorkshire has a network of ‘chatty champions’ who go onto buses on set dates to create conversations with people on the buses and create a community spirit.
