Skip to content

Cost of living: Man uses £2 bus fare cap to travel 137 miles

Andrew Cowell Andrew in WhitbyAndrew Cowell
Andrew Cowell arrived in Whitby at 16:40 on Thursday

A man has used the government's £2 cap on bus fares in England to travel the 137-mile (220km) journey from his home in Derby to Whitby in North Yorkshire.

Andrew Cowell set off from his home in Allestree at 06:40 GMT and arrived in Whitby at 16:40 on Thursday.

He said the journey had involved five buses and cost £10.

"I like scenery and I like the sea and Whitby is one of the most obvious places you could get to in a day from Allestree," he said.

Andrew Cowell YorkAndrew Cowell
Mr Cowell made his way through York and arrived in Whitby at 16:40

Mr Cowell, who works in railway operational planning, said he had caught the 06:40 bus from Allestree into Matlock, Derbyshire.

"I then went Matlock to Barnsley, Barnsley to Wakefield, Wakefield to Leeds and then the big three-and-a-half hour stint from Leeds all the way to Whitby over the North York Moors," he said.

"It cost the princely sum of £10. You could have done it for £8 last year but one of the routes has disappeared so you have to take two buses now, not one.

"I like scenery and I like the sea and Whitby is one of the most obvious place you could get to in a day from Allestree.

"I've always wanted to do the route from Leeds to Whitby - it was voted one of the most scenic routes in the country.

"It was great - I've driven across the North York Moors before but you don't get the same views as you get on the top deck of a double-decker bus."

Andrew Cowell Whitby harbourAndrew Cowell
He said he planned to stay overnight in Whitby before heading back on Friday

Mr Cowell planned to stay overnight in the seaside town before heading back to Derby on Friday.

"You can't get back again in a day, unfortunately, so I shall be on the first bus out in the morning," he said.

"I shall enjoy Whitby and do some photography as well."

Presentational grey line

Over the moors and far away

Andrew Cowell The Trans PeakAndrew Cowell
  • Mr Cowell's first bus was the 06:40 Trans Peak from Allestree to Matlock, which arrived at 07:15
  • At 08:00, he caught the X17 to Barnsley, which arrived at 10:55
  • At 11:00, he caught the 96 to Wakefield, which arrived at 12:00
  • At 12:15, he caught the 110 to Leeds, which arrived at 12:51
  • At 13:15, he caught the 840 Coastliner, which arrived in Whitby at 16:40
Presentational grey line
Andrew Cowell North York MoorsAndrew Cowell
He said he felt public transport was undervalued

He added he felt it was important to use public transport - especially given that he worked in the sector.

"A bus really is an undervalued bit of public transport and it's under attack at the moment with cuts," he said.

"It's important to use it - you don't know what you've lost until it's gone."

The government has said it plans to continue the £2 cap until the end of June.

Presentational grey line

Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].