National Express is planning to roll out a loyalty scheme that will reward customers according to the environmental credentials of their journey, The Times has learnt.

The coaches and trains operator is putting the finishing touches to a programme that will award points relating to the volume of carbon emissions saved by passengers using public transport rather than their own vehicles.

The Carbon Club scheme will cover all of National Express’s UK coach and train services and will start this year.

Richard Bowker, the chief executive, said: “Instead of just making people feel good about doing the right thing, we’re also going to give them the chance to bank the carbon they’ve saved. Once they’ve got to certain levels, we’ll reward them.”

He said that rewards would include free upgrades on trains, free tickets for journeys or free food and drink onboard company trains. Passengers travelling by coach are likely to earn rewards the fastest because coaches are more energy-efficient than trains, many of which run below capacity during off-peak hours.

The National Express web-site will be adapted to include a carbon calculator that will work out how much carbon individual passengers would be responsible for by using different modes of transport.

Mr Bowker said that he wanted the scheme to raise customers’ awareness of the environmental benefits provided by using public transport.

He added that the group was considering plans to introduce a scheme that would enable passengers to offset their carbon emissions, similar to those operated for airline passengers. However, he said, such a programme would take time to develop. The group operates coach services to 1,000 destinations, carrying 16 million passengers annually. It runs seven rail franchises, including Midland Mainline, which runs inter-city services between London and the East Midlands; One, which operates in the East of England; and Central Trains, which serves the Midlands. The group also runs airport services between London and Gatwick and Stansted airports.

A forthcoming round of rail franchise awards could give the group control of the East Coast Main Line railway.

The launch of the programme comes amid increasing awareness of the impact of travel on the environment. Last weekend the Conservatives initiated a consultation on whether to charge extra taxes on flights or fuel used by airlines.

Eurostar, the London to Paris and Brussels train operator, reports that a rising number of its corporate customers are choosing the train to reduce their companies’ carbon footprint.

Other large companies are also taking action to address environmental concerns. In January Tesco outlined proposals to label stock with details of each product’s carbon footprint. The chain — home of the Clubcard loyalty scheme — has also mooted plans for green loyalty points that would reward shoppers for buying organic, Fairtrade or biodegrad-able products.

National Express’s attempt to raise awareness of the amount of energy used by different types of transport also comes after the Government raised the possibility last year of every citizen having a personal carbon allowance.

This month David Miliband, the Environment Secretary, said that Europe’s emissions trading scheme, which seeks to achieve a controlled reduction in emissions by big industrial polluters, could be extended to cover surface transport.

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