A Paisley dad has ditched his car after being inspired by Renfrewshire Council’s Not Far? Leave the Car campaign.
This sees participants earn points every time they walk, wheel, cycle or use public transport and these can be turned into £5, £10 and £20 Renfrewshire gift cards.
When Stephen Dock found out about the initiative , it was the push he needed to make a huge change in his life – and it’s one he’s not looking back from.
The council’s new campaign was the driving force behind Stephen's decision to ditch the car for his bike and set a positive example for his two young sons, Jack and Jude.
Stephen said: “I found the campaign to be very motivational as it adds another good reason to cycle, walk or use public transport, and being able to see what I have achieved on a daily basis is rewarding.
“I thought I would do a test run of not using my car at all and mainly use my bike and public transport when required to see how it went. Commuting for me involves cycling to the train station, getting the train and then cycling to the hospital. I use the bus on occasion, but the majority of the time is cycling.
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“My bike still allows me to do the nursery and school run, have days out using the cycle path and visit family and friends. After four weeks, I had gone from using my car daily to once per week and it was then I decided to ditch the car altogether.
“The end result is now that I have sold my car and now only use my bike and public transport.”
With Jack and Jude travelling for free on buses as part of the Scottish Government’s free bus travel for under-23s scheme, it’s been easy for Stephen to travel without a car and even more so as Jack’s excited to get on his bike at every opportunity.
“I have two sons who have really had to get involved as I used to drive them around, but my oldest son Jack, who is nine, now cycles with me when we need to go places and I do my best to keep up!
“My youngest son Jude is two so isn’t quite big enough to cycle with us himself yet, but he goes into a kid's seat on the back of my bike and loves it so much that it’s now his preferred mode of transport.
"When we need to use public transport for longer journeys, Jack and Jude both travel for free on buses, so we save on costs and it’s great to travel together as a family in a sustainable way.”
Not Far? Leave the Car rewards people for taking sustainable journeys with points that can then be exchanged for discounts or freebies from more than 100 local businesses in Renfrewshire.
Stephen’s racking up the points every day and the campaign has encouraged him to visit more local businesses in Renfrewshire as he looks to spend locally whenever possible.
More than 750 people like Stephen are now signed up to the campaign and are getting healthier and being rewarded for leaving the car at home.
The free app works just like a sport or fitness watch and participants can choose to track their journeys themselves or do this automatically, with all sustainable journeys rewarded with points.
To sign up for free, visit www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/leavethecar .
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