On Trains & Buses

Here, you will find practical, thoughtful insight into public transport, helping you make sense of services and travel options. With a particular focus on Britain and Ireland, and growing international coverage, it brings together route information, operator details and links to official sources across buses, coaches, trains and trams.

You can explore detailed route listings, follow service changes and read considered commentary on public transport and travel, drawing on long-term personal experience. It also reflects on how transport has evolved over time, and aims to support informed, sustainable travel in the context of a changing climate.

Since 2010, British public transport has endured severe challenges. Years of constrained public spending weakened networks, and the pandemic dealt a further devastating blow to both funding and passenger confidence. Whilst there are now tentative signs of recovery, the journey back remains long and unclear, particularly given ongoing political uncertainty.

Even during the Great Recession, the landscape looked markedly different. Bus networks were more extensive, service provision inspired greater trust, and despite familiar problems such as overcrowding and delays, the system felt fundamentally more robust. The contrast with today is stark, reminiscent of how the relatively stable late 1970's must have appeared from the harsher reality of the mid-1980's.

What has been lost represents more than just routes and timetables. Years of policy decisions, pandemic-related anxieties about confined spaces and persistent labour disputes have dismantled much of what existed in the early 2000's. Yet the need to support public transport use has never been more urgent. With widespread awareness of the climate emergency and the imperative to reduce carbon emissions, accessible and reliable public transport is essential, not optional.

This makes sharing clear, practical information about public transport vitally important. When networks are fragmented and public confidence is low, helping people understand how to navigate available services becomes an act of both practical assistance and advocacy. Better information empowers more journeys, and more journeys help sustain the services communities need whilst contributing to the environmental goals we must achieve.

You will find content here drawn from Ireland and travels beyond the U.K., reflecting a broadening international perspective. This expansion began during a particularly difficult period for British public transport, when widespread industrial action made looking further afield both necessary and refreshing. What started as revisiting past travel experiences has evolved into fresh material inspired by Continental Europe, North America and other destinations. In times when challenges can feel overwhelming, discovering positive developments from different corners of the world offers welcome perspective and perhaps some useful lessons too.