• Sun. Aug 31st, 2025

Travellers in London can save over £700 a year by mixing up the commute

Switching from train to bus for just two days a week could save commuters in London £715 a year, which is the third highest saving across the UK. 
Research from Stagecoach revealed that bus travel saw the lowest national increase in fares since 2015, compared to other public transport, with London seeing a below-average 2.25% rise. The national average costs are shown in the graphic below:
The top areas to make a saving by mixing up your commute and taking the bus over the train two days a week were: 

  1. Midlands – £813 
  1. West Country (inc. Cornwall, Bristol) – £740 
  1. London – £715 
  1. Wessex – £296 
  1. Kent – £169 
It’s not just switching train for the bus where savings can be made. Travellers could save an average of £505.72 a year if they were to mix up their commute and switch their diesel car for the bus just two days a week, with petrol car owners potentially saving £350.20 annually.  
Statistics show fuel prices at an all-time high, with petrol prices increasing by 48p/litre, equating to a 42% rise, and diesel up by 57p/litre, a 48% increase, since 2015. 

The financial savings aren’t the only positive of switching to bus, the research also found mixing up your commute two days a week could have a substantial positive impact on the environment. Swapping your car for the bus for two journeys a week can save more than 900kg of CO2 emissions in a year, with train users saving over 1,500kg of CO2.Data source 

Carla Stockton-Jones, UK Managing Director of Stagecoach, commented: 
“The cost-of-living crisis is taking its toll on everyone, and we want to play our part in helping. We’ve experienced a rise in fuel, energy, labour and supply chain costs, which all have a knock-on effect on fares. This research helps to identify exactly where the public can make a saving on their transport by mixing up their commute.  
“As Britain’s biggest bus provider, we’re proud to see that bus services are still the cheapest travel option. Increases have fallen below the national inflation average, proving that buses are an affordable and reliable way to travel. Fares are used to pay for the rising costs of running services, including pay for bus workers who have worked hard to keep communities connected and services running during the pandemic, as well as investing in improvements for customers and new greener vehicles.  
“We also want to highlight how bus travel is much more environmentally friendly than driving and would encourage everyone to plan their journey and mix up their commute.” 
For more information and research, you can access the blog post here.