THIRTEEN is unlucky for some. But for Worcester commuters travelling on the 144 service to Birmingham, it's rather fortuitious.

Because that's the number of new vehicles ordered by First in a bid to make people's journey between the Faithful City and the Second City faster, more comfortable and more efficient.

The bus company says the £1.5m it has spent on upgrading its fleet shows it is committed to making the bus a viable alternatuive to the car.

People currently driving themselves up the M5 to go to work might like to consider paying someone else to do it for them while they sit back, read a book or even make a few final changes to that presentation.

Margaret Thatcher once said that anyone who reached the age of 30 and was still travelling to work on a bus had failed in life.

Millions of people around the country would disagree.

With driving to work taking longer and longer because of ever increasing congestion, it's car drivers who are starting to look the failures.

Buses have become more popular in recent years - and one of the reasons is that firms like First are splashing out on making the experience of travelling on them more pleasant.

With First also improving its services in and around Worcester itself, and plans to set up and car-sharing system as well as boost facilities for cyclists more people might be tempted to leave the car at home.

And that's good news for the city.