The government’s £2 bus fare scheme has been extended until the end of June 2023. This is brilliant news for commuters, day-trippers or just for popping to the shops, with great carbon reduction benefits too.

Victoria Hatch, carbon consultant at MyCarbon, shares her account of a recent bus trip to Keswick:
“Saturday morning I ran to the bus station in Kendal, to hop on the 555 to Keswick – thrilled to finally be making use of the £2 single fare.

I love the fells around Keswick, but I rarely make the trip here. I try to avoid unnecessary driving, and when I have so many wonderful hills on my doorstop, I would often stick around these areas for my solo adventuring.

The bus only takes about an hour and a half to Keswick and this journey is approximately 14.09 Kg CO2e* return as opposed to the 19.25 Kg CO2e emitted by my car (a petrol VW Fox). My small car is surprisingly quite low in emissions compared to an average sized diesel car which would produce 22.55 Kg CO2e**.

After looking at the bus times, I decided to run the George Fisher Espresso Round. It is about 20km in length with an elevation of 1165m, and you have to touch the tops of four peaks: Cat bells, Rowling End, Causey and Barrow.

I’d forgotten how daunting it can be to be faced with a mountain straight ahead, but by taking it one step at a time, each peak became manageable and I was reminded that anything is possible if you break it down into achievable parts – a mindset crucial when working on climate solutions.

There’s nothing like being back out in the mountains on my own rediscovering the joy of fell running, and not having to worry about travel or parking made the day stress-free.

*Kg CO2e or carbon dioxide equivalent, is a standard unit for measuring carbon footprints
**BIES 2022 emission factors including WTT”

Thanks to Victoria for sharing her story and insights. If you’d like to share a story about your experiences using the £2 fare scheme, get in touch via anne-marie@kendaltowncouncil.gov.uk