Youth 'Street Bus' is back on the road

The city’s ‘Street Bus’ is back on the road again, helping to occupy and engage young people in some of the city’s most deprived areas, thanks to a campaign spearheaded by Enterprise Peterborough.

The Street Bus is a fantastic facility to take services directly to where they are needed in our community.

The converted shuttle bus was launched in April 2010 by crime reduction charity Nacro to help target areas with high levels of anti-social behaviour.

The Street Bus visited ‘hot spots’ around the city and was making a difference to the behaviours of young people in the target areas until it was taken off the road in March 2011 when the funding ran out.

The bus offers advice on health, relationships and education in a fun and engaging environment for young people aged between 16 and 24 years old. The bus contains a range of activities, from entertainment consoles and music decks to film editing facilities. It also includes space for one-to-ones and study.

Thanks to sponsorship from Enterprise, the Street Bus is running again until at least the end of the year, allowing time for deals to be struck with a number of sponsors to help secure its long-term future.

Commenting at the launch in Cathedral Square, Dave Martin, Regional Managing Director for Enterprise said, “The Street Bus was being stored at our depot in Nursery Lane and it was such a shame that it wasn’t being used, particularly when it was providing so popular and so effective.

“We’re delighted it’s now back on the road and we look forward to it bringing a great deal of pleasure to as many young people in Peterborough as possible over the coming months and to securing the Street Bus’s future so that it is here for as long as it is needed.”

Commenting at the launch, Balwinder Gill, Area Manager, Nacro, said: “The Street Bus is a fantastic facility to take services directly to where they are needed in our community. Nacro is very grateful to Enterprise and the City Council who have helped to get the bus out to where it is needed. There are great facilities on board for young people, and it provides a much needed front line facility, where different agencies can come together to tackle social issues.”

“The contrast between the sights and sounds of the Street Bus and the backdrop of the Cathedral said it all for me,” added Matthew Lee, Deputy Leader of the City Council, “that while the city is steeped in history, we’re also a very young and vibrant city that is prepared to tackle modern issues in innovative ways.”