Research reveals bus travel is £1,000 per year cheaper than commuting by car

Research carried out by Stagecoach has revealed commuters could save approximately £1,000 annually by switching to bus travel instead of using a car.

The national study carried out by operator Stagecoach, has found passengers could save around £90 per month, equating to over £1,000 per year, by catching the bus instead of travelling to work by car, despite falling fuel prices at the pumps. According to results, bus travel costs are approximately 55 percent cheaper than the same commute by car.

Bus travel around 55 percent cheaper than the same commute by car

The study covered 36 key commuter routes in England, Scotland and Wales, comparing the weekly price of traveling by bus with the cost of fuel and car parking for the same journeys.

Key points of the study revealed:

• The biggest savings were in the East of England where bus passengers travelling between St Ives and Cambridge were 83 percent better off, saving more than £5,500 a year compared to motorists.
• In the North-east of England, taking the bus between South Shields and Newcastle was up to £1,100 per year cheaper than driving
• Commuters in Merseyside travelling between Heswall and Liverpool could save more than £1,200 a year month by switching to bus travel
• In Greater Manchester, bus users travelling between Reddish and Manchester could be more than £460 a year better off.
• South West commuters travelling between Torquay and Exeter could save more than £1,000 a year by leaving the car at home and taking the bus.
• In the South of England, bus travel between Worthing and Brighton was found to be more than £2,000 cheaper than going by car
• In Scotland taking the bus between Peterhead and Aberdeen instead of driving was around £1,600 a year cheaper.
• Commuters in Wales who travel between Merthyr and Cardiff could save around £1,400 a year by switching to bus travel

Robert Montgomery, Managing Director of Stagecoach UK Bus, said: “Fuel prices are at their lowest level for six years, but it is still miles cheaper to commute to work by bus for many people up and down the country.

“The average savings would pay a big chunk of people’s annual energy bills and for some it would fund the cost of a family holiday for a week in the sun in Florida.

“It’s also easier than ever before to catch the bus, with smart ticketing, bus tracking available via your smartphone and free wi-fi on many of our new buses.”