There’s a whole new look to match-day travel for NUFC fans heading to St James’ Park – and tickets for three upcoming games are up for grabs!
The former Altoonative Travel scheme has been relaunched as Magpies Go Smarter – and that’s not the only thing that’s been given a new look.
The X50 Match Day Park and Ride bus, which operates from the MetroCentre direct to St James’ Park, has been given a Magpies makeover, complete with eye catching black and white stripes and the new Magpies Go Smarter logo.
To mark the changes, NUFC fans are being offered the chance to win tickets to one of three home games.
A pair of tickets to the game against Manchester City on December 27, Brighton on December 30 or Swansea on January 13 are on offer.
For details on how to enter people need to go to the Magpies Go Smarter Facebook page www.facebook.com/
The former Altoonative Travel has been relaunched as Magpies Go Smarter to bring the scheme in line with the existing Go Smarter regional sustainable travel initiative.
Cllr Arlene Ainsley, Cabinet member for transport and air quality at Newcastle City Council, said: “Magpies Go Smarter is all about helping fans get to the match without the hassle of taking the car.
“It offers information on how people can get to the stadium on foot, by bike and using public transport.
“This fits in with the city council’s wider priorities to encourage people to think about how they travel and, where they can, use alternatives to the car in order to reduce traffic congestion and improve our air quality and our health.”
The new-look Match Day Park and Ride service, which is operated by Go North East, enables fans to travel to and from St James’ Park direct from the MetroCentre coach park.
Stephen King, head of commercial and retail at Go North East, added: “We all know how busy it can get on match days, so rather than being stuck in traffic, we hope plenty of fans take advantage of our comfortable and convenient park and ride service.
“With contactless payments, Wifi and USB ports as standard – it is an easy and hassle-free option for local people.”
Fares for the Match Day Park and Ride service are £2 for a return or £1.50 for a single ticket. Under 18 fares are £1 each way. Buses run for two hours before kick-off and one hour after the game ends.