An intrepid bus passenger who took up a challenge to see how far she could go on three buses travelled 39 miles - ending up in Bridport.
Sarah Jarman, from Langford, competed against her colleagues from leading sustainable transport charity Campaign for Better Transport, to see who could travel furthest in one day using only three buses.
Starting in Somerset, Sarah took the 126 from Axbridge to Wells where she changed buses and carried on towards Yeovil making a final change of bus there to finish her journey 39 miles away at Bridport.
She was just beaten by her colleagues Stephen who covered 62.5 miles from Reading to Leamington Spa, and Jess who travelled 60 miles from Ipswich to Cromer.
The epic bus journeys helped launch a national competition to inspire more people to make their own ‘epic’ bus trip.
Thanks to the £2 single bus fare cap, an England-wide temporary incentive to get more people using buses, Sarah spent just £6 in total.
Before the fare cap was introduced, the first leg of Sarah’s journey, a single fare from Axbridge to Wells, used to cost £6.80; more than the cost of Sarah’s entire 39-mile trip.
The epic bus journeys were made to help launch Campaign for Better Transport’s national competition to make more people aware of the £2 bus fare scheme, which runs until the end of June.
Sarah said: “It’s been a wonderful day, and I’m looking forward to doing my epic bus journey again in better weather so I can walk along the coastal path to Weymouth.
"The lovely thing about travelling by bus is it gives you time to think, to watch, to pay attention to things that you’d otherwise breeze past at speed in a car or even a train.
"The £2 bus fare is a great initiative, but not everyone knows about it. Hopefully my journey will inspire other people to make use of the bus and see where they can get to.”
Sarah’s big bus journey marks the launch of Campaign for Better Transport’s national competition to see how far you can travel by bus in one day.
The journey can have up to three connecting ‘legs’, but no leg can cost more than £2. The winner will receive £150 in National Trust vouchers, enough for a year’s family membership granting you free entry to over 500 places including King John’s Hunting Lodge in Axbridge and Montacute House in South Petherton. The competition runs until the end of April.
For more information, see bettertransport.org.uk
Share