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Coach lover's joy at 50 years' free National Express travel

National Express Chris Hardy, managing director UK Coach (left) presenting Tom Humphries with his ticketNational Express
Chris Hardy, managing director of the UK Coach division of National Express, presents Tom Humphries with his ticket

A man who won 50 years of free travel on National Express coaches in the UK says it feels like he has found a "golden ticket".

Tom Humphries, from Rickinghall in Suffolk, will be able to take almost unlimited journeys on the company's coaches until he is 97 years old.

Already a keen coach tripper, Mr Humphries joked that he could now become a "professional traveller".

He won the prize in the company's giveaway celebrating its 50th year.

Mr Humphries's love of coach travel began when he was at school, travelling to away matches with his school's sports teams.

"I worked out I'd probably been on at least 100 different coaches just through school trips," he said.

Tom Humphries Tom Humphries and his brother with an US school busTom Humphries
Tom Humphries pictured aged five with his older brother in 1980 when they were at school in Connecticut, USA
Tom Humphries Tom Humphries on a coach in AustraliaTom Humphries
Mr Humphries toured Australia from Darwin to Adelaide by coach in 2001 on a "Thommo" coach

Mr Humphries said he had "fond memories" of travelling on a double decker coach from London to Bristol to visit his "nanna", saying he dreamt of "getting the top deck front seat as it was always a great view".

He later toured Australia and New Zealand - using coaches whenever possible.

Tom Humphries Coaches in AustraliaTom Humphries
It runs in the family - his dad travelled on this bus in Australia in 1990
Tom Humphries Buses at the Tropic of Capricorn in AustraliaTom Humphries
He took an Easyrider coach from Perth to Darwin, in Australia in 2001, stopping here on the Tropic of Capricorn

During the past 12 years, he has regularly travelled on coaches to visit his girlfriend in Dunblane in Stirling.

Alluding to Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, he said: "When I opened the email I thought I'd won an annual pass and I was really chuffed with that.

"Then I looked again, and thought, hang on, I just won the golden ticket."

The prize allows him to take 40 trips each month, with a return journey counting as two trips.

Since winning, he said he had already taken five trips which would have cost "about £30 a go".

Tom Humphries Tom Humphries with an old bus at a museumTom Humphries
Mr Humphries doesn't pass up an opportunity to visit bus and coach museums on his travels

Asked how he would use his free ticket to ride, he said: "I might have a go at every route the company does.

"There are about 100 at the moment, but I believe new ones are going to be added, and there are many places I haven't explored before that I think I will now visit."

Although he does drive, and flies when going overseas, the joy of a coach trip, he said, was: "You don't get wound up by other drivers - you can just sit back, relax and look out the window."

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