New £2 bus fares have saved me a fortune on UK holidays – and even got discounted tickets to attractions
HOPPING on a bus has become a staple of our recent UK trips, thanks to the £2 fare cap that’s in place until the end of the year.
It’s saved me a fortune in petrol and parking and it’s inspired adventures that we never would have taken, had they not been along a bus route.
I’m used to driving my boys aged 11, nine and four here, there and everywhere on days out, both close to home and further afield.
But now I always check if there’s a bus that can get us where we want to go, as I’d rather leave the car at home if possible.
The boys and I have been on buses along Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, up the Norfolk coast and to a Leicestershire landmark recently and we probably wouldn’t have done any of those trips if the £2 cap hadn’t been extended to the end of the year.
Knowing more or less what fare I’m going to pay for us all makes a huge difference to whether I’d get the bus for a day out.
Before, I had no idea how much tickets would be and the uncertainty was enough to put me off bothering to take public transport.
Now I know that each trip will probably cost about the same as paying out for car parking, it’s a no-brainer to jump on the bus wherever it’s a possibility.
Having that option meant we could walk along Hadrian’s Wall from Yha The Sill to Housesteads Roman fort, safe in the knowledge that we could easily get back to our starting point by bus.
The quick bus trip back cost £4, the same as up to three hours’ parking at Housesteads, as my fare was £2 and it was half that for each of the two older boys. Under fives travel free.
You can even get 20 per cent off the fort admission price if you have a ticket for the AD122 bus to show.
So it might be better to catch the bus there and then walk back if you want to take advantage of that offer.
We’d all slipped over multiple times in the mud along the trail to get to Housesteads so it was a welcome relief to be catching the bus and not trekking back the way we came for another two or three hours.
The fare cap has also given us the chance to hitch a lift with family members driving by local attractions, without worrying about when they will be able to come back to get us.
We were dropped off at Bradgate Park near Leicester one weekend and then spent several hours exploring in the sunshine before heading back to the bus stop.
Even having to abide by the bus timetable worked in our favour as it meant we could tuck into ice creams from a hut next to the bus stop while we waited and then explored a little church nearby.
Three scenic train journeys you can take in the UK
Cornish Coast – One trip that rail enthusiasts seem to love is along a stretch of the Cornish coast and takes just 10 minutes to complete.
The route from St Erth to St Ives only stops at Carbis Bay en route to its final destination, but the views out the window for the whole journey are pretty spectacular.
Another highlight of the journey is that St Ives station is situated right next to Porthminster beach, meaning the sand and sea can be accessed almost immediately.
Meanwhile, the station is less than a ten minute walk into town, where the harbour, shops, galleries and pubs can be explored.
Durham to Edinburgh – Another train route that people in the UK love is the East Coast train line between Durham and Edinburgh, with coastal views and city landscapes among the sights that can be seen out the window.
Newcastle, Berwick, Lindisfarne and Durham Cathedral are all among the highlights on that route.
Scotland’s West Highland Line – While Scotland is home to plenty of famous landmarks and top attractions, it also has one of the most breathtaking train routes in the world.
Scotland’s West Highland Line has previously been dubbed the best rail journey in the world by Wanderlust – and it’s easy to see why.
The journey from Glasgow to Fort William is one of my favourite train routes – and I’ve interrailed through mainland Europe.
With mountain landscapes, serene lochs, wistful moors, and wildlife all visible through the train window, it’s certainly a route all holidaymakers should consider doing at least once.
Though the journey back home took more than half an hour, it was still only £2 for my fare and the boys travelled free as part of an Easter holiday scheme to get more families on Leicestershire buses.
As the car park was full to the brim and parking costs £4.40 for three hours on weekends and bank holidays, using the bus for our day out saved us cash and stress.
We’ll do it again over the summer as I enjoyed getting to look out of the windows at the villages and countryside on our route, rather than keeping my eyes firmly fixed on the road as the driver.
The bus fare cap scheme was brought in by the government at the start of 2023 to encourage more people to use public transport and has been extended several times since then.
There’s a full list of which bus companies and routes are covered on the government website, which is worth checking before you set off.
Capped fares are currently in place until the end of 2024, but I firmly believe they should be kept for good.
Keeping fares family-friendly means that taking the bus is no fuss, and that’s got to be a winner if you want more people in public transport.
Meanwhile, these UK family trips can be booked from as little as £3pp per night.
And this is one of the UK’s cheapest holiday destinations.
