Do you use buses?

No, because I get travel sickness, especially on local buses stopping and starting and with their ineffable internal smell of fuel and upholstery and damp. On a good day, I can manage the journey from the Park and Ride into town, but usually I walk. The distance is somewhere between a mile and a mile and a half each way.

I do use trains, the only form of transport I do not feel ill on and my railcard is well used.

The bus from my village to Southend bus station runs every thìrteen minutes and there are mañy destiations you can get to from there by bus. Some years ago a bus went every hour from Southend to London unfortunately not now? Now I have a free bus pass I would love to have a day out in London by bus.

We also use buses when on holiday, using our passes in England, in Cornwall, Devon, Norfolk, and the IOW. When we had the use of the car we still used buses for "end to end" walks. If we have a coach holiday we often make our own excursions instead of the set trips. You meet a lot more of the local people instead of being in a holiday "bubble" that way.

Although I drive I still use buses sometimes, like when I go to Exeter fairly regularly. The bus stops at the top of my road and so I save petrol, parking, etc. And also for going to Torquay (my old home town), it makes perfect sense.
I still love my car though and there are places in Devon where it's difficult to get to by bus.
We are lucky though compared to southern Ireland. I go there regularly as one of my grand-daughters lives there.
There are absolutely no buses in her village, nor nearby.

We were on holiday last year with a lady who’d lived in London all her life (a quite well off lady living in a posh area). The rest of us were from all over the UK. We decided that London really is a different country. Especially if you’re well-heeled.

I use buses a lot - almost every day. London buses are fantastic - regular, good value and very inter-connected.

My Mum lives in Suffolk. The bus service is poor and is due to get even worse, with the last bus leaving from her village at 4 p.m. and no Sunday buses. Plus they are cutting out some of the route so I'm not sure how non-drivers in more rural locations are going to get about. Taxis are expensive.

Reading all your accounts I feel extra lucky to have a choice of buses and even an all night one, should I want it, every hour from Midnight until 5am and then the normal service begins.

The best journey I ever did was to Orkney for a long weekend. Bus from us to Edinburgh. Bus to Inverness where there was a wait of about an hour ( Leakey's is a great bookshop)

www.theculturemap.com/leakeys-bookshop-in-inverness-scotland/

Orkney Express meanders through fantastic scenery, all the way to John O'Groats where it backs onto the ferry. You get off to stretch your legs and have your tea while you cross the Pentland Firth, then back on the bus for the last part into Kirkwall.

Almost free apart from a reduced ferry fare.
jogferry.digitickets.co.uk/category/2688

One of the Great bus journeys of the world

Hulahoop ,we too have to get 2 buses to anywhere apart from the town centre.
The cost is dear,even with a day pass and it takes a long time to do a journey even to my DD only,3 miles away, but no direct route .
We can no longer walk up and down the steep hills to get there.
The buses are underused because of the infrequent services,poor timing,cost and unreliability.
Oh -forgot to mention -not getting bus pass until 66!

Not yet. But I will certainly be making use of my free bus pass in two years time when I am due to receive it!

There are no busses where I live. If I walk three miles one way or the other I could get either a train or a bus to the nearest town twenty miles away but the cost in either case is prohibitive. I wouldnt bother as there is nothing other than a bunch of unsavoury types hanging in closed down shop doorways when I get there and a load of coffee shops like starbucks and a Mc D on every corner. Can do better with coffee and a burger at home.

I would if I had a free bus pass! I have to wait until I’m 66 as I do for my state pension!

I have to use the bus to attend eye clinic appointments as not allowed to drive after having drops put in my eyes. However it's a nightmare trying to coordinate the appointments with the one every two hours bus service! We used to get a bus every half an hour and it was quite well used, but two years ago it was cut to the current hopeless timetable.
When we had a more frequent service I often used it at other times to go shopping or just for a trip out, but it's just too much of a faff now.

No. It's too expensive.

It's also a very limited rural service, is unreliable and involves quite a walk to the nearest bus stop that includes having to cross a busy A road, but price is the main reason I no longer use it (3 years ago it was over £6 return to our nearest small town, 4 miles away). I've no idea how much it is now, but it certainly won't have got any cheaper!

I'm a regular bus user - best present that I got at the age of 60, was my 'Local Authority Bus Pass'.

I'm so lucky to live in the Merseyside Area - local train services and Mersey Ferries are also included free for us!

Local bus service from where I live - into Liverpool City Centre - is approx every 6 minutes for one service and every 10 minutes for another one. Both take approx 45 mins - 1 hour depending on the time of day. We are rather spoilt for choice!

I haven't read the whole thread.
Just to say we have a very good bus service here which I use almost daily. Since I gave up my driving license a year ago.
We've both got a bus pass and can either just go locally for shopping, or to 'Toon', or out to the coast for the day.
All for free!
And you can chat to other locals on the way.
Buses are a blessing here.

Yep love the old buses we have a great service every 15 minutes and a choice of two. We live in a London suburb so we are lucky. Bus to the station and free pass to London.

Love my pass, today I walked about a mile to the butcher and then came home on the bus. My DH can't drive any more, so he uses buses to get to his bridge club. I try to use the car as little as possible. We're very fortunate as there is very good public transport in our area.

I drive but use the bus frequently - no concerns about finding a parking space, returning for meters etc. No cost to me with my wonderful bus pass.

One poster (XrGran?) suggested half price fares for us oldies but I am under the impression that a concessionary bus pass is available to everyone aged 60-something. I understand that local councils fund it

There is a bus service into the nearest small town and then onto the next and back again twice an hour. I have a bus pass so get it if I want to go to the further town but use the car if only going to the nearest as I can park with a permit in the car park of the building I volunteer in so the parking is free

I live in Torbay, Devon where we have an excellent bus service and I live near to a bus stop. In the summer season, the frequency of the buses on my route increases to accommodate the visitors, many of whom are very impressed by our service. Although I drive, I use buses and trains whenever possible.

Yes I use the bus a lot. I don't drive and although my husband does I like my independence. I wouldn't live anywhere not on a bus route. Our local service is not great though. Sometimes buses are missing. Waiting at the bus stop with others can be a bonding experience eveyone ends up talking to each other complaining about the missing bus. Then when it eventually turns up we are so grateful it has actually arrived we forget about complaining!

I have a free bus pass but I've never had the need to use it yet. I stopped once near to a bus stop in town to post a letter and a bloke tried to get into my car saying his bus hadn't turned up. I soon told him I had no intention of giving a strange man a lift, especially one who felt entitled to have one.

I get the bus to work as bus station is nearer to office than nearest car park . But prefer the car but saving the mileage so can do longer trips out and about after I retire end of the month ?

blueskies Yes, Ken Livingstone did bring in Freedom passes for Londoners but (and I'm no Tory) it was Boris who - when the national bus pass age moved up to 65 - introduced the London free Oyster so the Londoners could still have them at 60 rather than have to wait another 5 years. I LOVE my Freedom Pass - I'm always out and about using it.

I love my Freedom Pass and think it's a massive privilege to have free use of all London buses, trains and even a discount of the river boats! I also live in Cornwall part of the time and think the locals down there get a terrible deal, public transport-wise. I did once, though, get a free bus ride all the way from Bodmin Parkway station to the centre of Padstow - took forever but felt great to see the centres of villages I'd always previously whizzed past in the car.