A train operating company that serves towns across East Lancashire is urging business leaders to sign up for their Employee Season Scheme and bag their workforce the equivalent of three months free travel to work.

The annual ticket supplied by Northern is bought by the employer and then deducted in monthly instalments direct from the employees’ paycheque.

It offers up to a 33 per cent discount on their journeys, equating to 12 weeks’ free travel over the course of the year.

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The scheme is designed primarily to help people whose job still requires them to travel to their place of work.

However, the discount is such that people who only travel into work on a selected number of days are still better off on the Employee Season Scheme that they would be buying daily tickets.

Tickets can be used at weekends and on bank holidays too, meaning extra savings for the employee, and they can also gain access to exclusive offers and competitions from Northern.

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Mark Powles, commercial and customer director at Northern, said: “We’re always looking for ways to support people making the transition from road to rail.

“This scheme is a great opportunity for businesses to get involved and help their workforce cut the cost of their commute - even for so-called TWTs who only commute three days a week."