How to Save Money On Public Transport
With the world slowly getting back on its feet, many of us are beginning to travel further afield. Whether for work, staycations, or simply visiting friends and relatives, our need for travel often includes public transport. With train travel in particular becoming more and more expensive, we look at some of the best ways to save money on public transport, without having a railcard.
As with all products, train ticket prices can vary, depending on when – and where – you purchase them. You could buy them at the station itself, on the day of travel – but this is likely to be the least cost-effective option.
Buying in Advance, or Last Minute.
As with most things, buying well in advance can save you money. Companies such as trainline specialise in providing cheaper tickets for those who wish to book weeks ahead. As long as you know when and where you want to go, just pop your details in and they will do the rest.
There are many advantages of booking through companies like this. Not only do you save money; you also have peace of mind knowing your journey is organised, and you won’t have a last minute panic to buy your tickets. You may also be able to find better deals on first class travel. This means if you have a long or tedious journey, you can relax knowing you will be travelling in style and space. Tickets are also digital, which means as long as you have your phone, have your ticket.
The disadvantages of using this site is currently you are unable to book a return ticket, although this is easily rectified by buying two single tickets, to get you there and back again.
Buying last minute can also save money, although you do run the risk of the journey being fully booked.
Split Tickets
A second way to save money is a method known as split tickets. Split tickets is essentially buying multiple tickets for one journey, which can work out cheaper than one direct ticket. For example, purchasing one ticket from Edinburgh to Manchester may be more expensive than purchasing multiple tickets, from Edinburgh to Carlisle, and Carlisle to Manchester. Luckily, there are plenty of sites and apps that do the hard work for us, such as Split Train Tickets, to easily help us save money.
Alternative Means of Transport
If you’re not on a tight schedule, you could also consider travelling on a coach rather than by train. It takes longer, but is generally cheaper, although you do run the risk of getting stuck in unpredictable traffic. You also have less space to move about, meaning if you have a long journey, you could be cooped up in your seat for hours with little space to get up and stretch your legs. Sites such as checkmybus are a great site to scout out, and they also have additional options you can select such as wifi or extra baggage.
How far have you travelled since lockdown? Let us know by commenting below, or check out our holiday post for other great saving ideas!
