Introduction to Emily Turner
Emily is a transport enthusiast, passionate about making long-distance journeys by public transport and encouraging others to do the same. In early 2023, she went viral for a local bus journey from London to Edinburgh, and is currently writing a book about travelling extended distances by bus. She is also co-creator and co-host of “Roundel Round We Go”, a podcast where each episode looks at the history of a different London Underground station.
Emily’s Story - Bus Journey from London to Scotland using £2 fare scheme
I am not an expert on bus travel, nor do I work in the industry. I’m just someone who likes riding buses. If I’ve got a day with not a lot to do, or am travelling somewhere with time to spare, I can’t think of anything more appealing than putting on some music or a podcast and getting on a bus. I can sit back, stare out the window, and let my thoughts wander. To me, riding a bus holds many of the same pleasures as going for a walk, except on a bus you can get further and see more.
My love of buses led me to riding every single bus in most cities I’ve lived in (they’ve added a few more in London that I haven’t got around to, but I’m still clinging to the title), but for a while I’ve also been interested in travelling further afield by bus. I’ve tried out a few different connecting routes around the Isle of Wight, Sussex, and the East Midlands over the years, but when the government announced their £2 bus cap in January, I decided it was time to do a much longer journey. I’d discussed the idea of doing London to Edinburgh for years, so I decided to leave on my birthday (a cold February Friday), book a train back for Sunday night, and find a way to get between the the two cities. I created a spreadsheet, checked it multiple times, printed off some maps, booked some hotels, and at 5 in the morning, set off for the bus stop across the street from me.
However, what I didn’t expect is that I wouldn’t be alone. The night before I left, I had tweeted out to my few-hundred followers that I was about to embark on this journey. For some reason, this resonated with people, and overnight the tweet had been shared hundreds of times, and my follower count was growing by the minute. Every second of the following three days my phone was alight with notifications. People around the country were sharing in my journey – telling me stories about the places they grew up and the buses they took to school, talking about friends who also love travelling by bus, explaining that they were counting down the days until they got their freedom passes and could travel the country by bus for free. As someone with lots of transport enthusiast friends, I know many people who are into buses, but this was something else. People from all sorts of backgrounds sharing in the genuine joy they felt about riding buses. By the end of the weekend I had fielded messages from dozens of journalists, had offers of free travel, and had over 20,000 Twitter followers. People were excited about bus journeys!
Since that time, I’ve spoken at events for various transport organisations, and I keep being told, “Wow! You’ve done so much for buses! You’re just what the industry needs!” and I’m so pleased that I’ve shone a light on buses and got people excited, but I also think that what I discovered on this journey was that people were already excited about buses. They were excited about buses the same way I was – a way to spend a lazy afternoon or a meandering route to the beach. They loved the adventure of just getting on a bus and seeing where it takes you, what’s out the window, and who gets on it.
Few people are ever going to enjoy commuting no matter how they do it. I travelled to and from work by bus for most of the past decade, and while services in London are frequent and reliable, I can’t say that spending an hour and a half nodding off against a window was ever a pleasant experience, no matter how much I love buses. And while commuter services are hugely important, what I learned on my journey to Scotland is that services that give people a day out and let them see the world around them are what make them feel positively about buses. They make them remember, “Hey – the bus isn’t that thing I drag myself onto to get to work every morning, it can take me to places I love too!”.
Since my journey I have loved when people have messaged me about their own journeys they’ve been on, whether they’re going halfway across the country or on a loop of three local bus routes. Many have told me that either the £2 bus fare, or the free travel they’re entitled to for various reasons, has made them come to appreciate buses, and get to places they otherwise wouldn’t be able to go. Buses really enrich people’s lives!
I have now done a bus trip around Northern Ireland (beautiful views, well-maintained stations, lovely buses, but I very much missed the £2 fares), and am planning my next adventure – the classic journey from John O’Groats to Lands’ End. I’m so excited to see more of the country by bus, and to write about that and share it with other people. I think, when planning bus routes or laying out services, sometimes travellers like me get forgotten about, which makes perfect sense when we’re by far in the minority and you’ve got commuters or people going shopping or heading to hospital appointments or getting to school to prioritise – but I also think people like me who take joy in getting on a bus can be such positive ambassadors and help revitalise the image of bus travel. Word of mouth still matters, and there’s no publicity as good as someone telling a friend how the best way to get to the beach or into the forest or through the neighbouring town is by getting on the bus.
Emily Turner