Why catching the bus isn’t so bad

In my younger days, catching a bus to school or work was fine. Today, however, the thought of catching a bus sends shivers down many spines…especially when you hit your forties.  I think this is more true if you have a car and don’t live in London. Oh that’s me then. But that has just changed. I recently got three free day bus passes and decided that I would bite the bullet and catch a bus.

I have learnt things like take the right change,top up bus cards are the cheapest way of getting around and you no longer have no idea when the next bus is coming, as there are cool apps which tell you where the nearest stop is, what buses are coming and at what time.

The buses all seem to have CCTV and have touch wood been mainly on schedule. I only take the bus once a week now and it does get a bit hair raising when you think that you’ve missed the stop, but Google Maps helps out and can track your journey.

In terms of cost, in the West Midlands, a day saver is £4, compared to a £2.30 ticket each way for my journey.  A weekly and monthly pass is cheaper, and infinitely cheaper than running, insuring and taxing a car.

One downside is inflexibility and frequency of buses. I live in a town centre so it’s not too much of an issue for me, and I use an app, so that I don’t waste time hanging around for a bus that isn’t coming.

So I shop at Aldi (often) and take the bus…not what I imagined for myself 10 years ago.