Ticket To Ride: The journey begins

Monday, 31 March 2008

The journey begins

By the way, we are Manju Ghosh and Christine Jackson and we have been close friends for fifteen years. Manju lives in Bolton and early this morning she met a crowd of media people at Piccadilly Station where she was 'seen off' by the Minister for the North West, Beverley Hughes MP and the Vice Chair of the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority, Counciller Allen Brett. She is now travelling to Sheffield where I live and where we shall also meet the media at the Interchange bus station before we get a train to Berwick. If we can find an internet cafe the next blog will be from the Scottish border.

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Bus Journeys for Free using National Bus Pass

Second Bus Trip - Dover to Gretna Green April 2009

On 1st April 2009, the anniversary of the provision of a National Bus Pass for pensioners, we
are setting out on another epic journey. This time we start on the south coast at Dover and
will travel by local bus to the Scottish border at Gretna. It will take 41 buses and we shall
stop off with friends in Canterbury, London, Cambridge, Birmingham, Shropshire, Greater
Manchester and Kendal. If our planning works, it will take eight days.
We were slightly taken aback by a story which seems to have originated in The Times on
28th March and was then followed up by other media, saying that on the 1st April the
Government were going to limit the buses which would accept the National Bus Pass. In
fact, on this occasion, it seems we can trust the Department of Transport spokesman who
said they were just clarifying what buses could be regarded as local. This was a problem
which came up before our last trip and we adopted the definition of a local bus as one which
randomly picks up passengers at bus stops or stations and cannot be booked. We knew the
pass would not work on coaches, National Express or the like. I was asked to go on GMTV
tomorrow, 30th March, to comment on the story but I persuaded the researcher it was not
much of a story so I've missed my chance for fame.
We don't expect much media coverage of this trip which will reduce the fun a bit but maybe
we will read our books this time. Next blog from Canterbury.

First Bus Trip - Berwick -on-Tweed to Lands End
April 2008

On 1st April a free bus pass for England becomes available to people aged 60 and over. On that day, we are planning to travel from Berwick-upon-Tweed to Lands End using only free buses. We are not taking the fastest or shortest route but will be prepared to be diverted by an interesting destination blind on a bus. We have booked small hotels in Berwick and Penzance but otherwise are staying with friends throughout the trip. We expect it to take 14 days.We have called ourselves the Grauniad Girls because we are both addicts of the Guardian cryptic crossword and intend to comment on the day's crossword on this blog as we proceed.

Monday, 31 March 2008

The journey begins

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Bus Journeys for Free using National Bus Pass

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