First Bus to provide FREE travel for Armed Forces to attend VE Day 80 events in Norfolk & Suffolk
First Bus East is proud to support the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day by offering free bus travel to veterans and current UK armed forces personnel across Norfolk and Suffolk from Monday 5 May to Sunday 11 May 2025.
Eligible passengers can travel free by either wearing their military uniform or showing a valid service ID card to the driver.
James McCluskey, Commercial Director at First Bus East, said: “Across First Bus, a number of our colleagues are veterans, and we’re very proud of their efforts and sacrifice. This is our way of saying thank you to them, as well as honouring the men and women who choose to serve and protect the freedoms we now enjoy.
“We want to make bus travel to and from VE Day 80 events as easy as possible, and I am pleased that our business can play our part in supporting and remembering those in military service past and present.”
Some of the VE Day 80 events taking place in Norfolk and Suffolk next week include:
- King’s Lynn (5 & 8 May): Two free public events on Bank Holiday Monday, 5 May, and Thursday, 8 May, featuring commemorations and community activities.
- Framlingham (8 May): A historical VE Day display at The Crown Hotel on 8 May, with period music and events on Market Hill.
- Ipswich (8 May): A service will be held at the Cenotaph in Christchurch Park at 11am, led by the Royal British Legion. The Mayor of Ipswich and the Deputy Lord-Lieutenant of Suffolk will both be attending, and members of the public are welcome. A celebration will take place on the Cornhill in Ipswich Town Centre from 7.30pm, including musical entertainment from 1940s singer Stacy ‘Kitty’ Collins and from the Wattisham Military Wives Choir.
For more information on First Bus’ services, including timetables, please visit the First Bus website. For live bus tracking please download the First Bus app.
Notes to editors
About First Bus
At First Bus, we’re on a mission to grow bus usage – so we’ll get behind initiatives that move people out of cars and onto the bus.
We’re one of the UK’s largest bus operators, transporting more than 1.5 million passengers a day. Our local bus services serve more than 25% of the population of Great Britain and over half of the UK’s top 15 most populated urban areas.
We are a leading operator in the majority of our local areas, including major urban centres such as Glasgow, Bristol and Leeds.
We have proudly launched our First Bus London operation and now operate 83 routes in west and central London from 10 garages serving 180 million passengers annually.
The combined operation now manages a fleet of over 5,750 buses across the UK.
Transforming our business for the better, we’re putting our people and customers at the heart of everything we do. That’s why we’re the UK’s largest national bus operator to achieve real Living Wage employer status, cementing our position as an employer of choice in the sector.
First Bus is committed to operating a zero-emission bus fleet by 2035. We will have over 1000 zero-emission buses in operation across our UK fleet by the end of 2025.
We’re passionate about giving back to the communities we serve, which is why we’re helping local businesses to progress their decarbonisation journeys – giving them access to our charging hubs while our buses are on the road.
We also operate, Specialist Passenger Solutions, First Travel Solutions, York Pullman Bus Company, Lakeside, Ensignbus, Anderson Travel - and the Aircoach network and Matthews in Ireland.
First Bus is a division of FirstGroup.
Find more information on our website here: https://news.firstbus.co.uk/