Buses

The world is running out of oil and global warming is a reality. We must do something urgently to persuade people to use their cars less. Buses are certainly not the solution in this area.
It's a common cry that it isn't easy being green. You really do have to put yourself out if you want to help save the planet, for example...
I may have mentioned that I live in East Kent, this used to be the name of the local bus company. Several years ago they were taken over by Stagecoach, which is one of the biggest transport operators in the UK.
On the whole this has not been a good thing. When I was a teenager I used to go to and from school in Sandwich, by bus. The buses were frequent, punctual and ran from early morning until late at night. We used to occasionally go to Canterbury for the evening and the last bus home ran at 10:30 pm. Not very late, but good enough for a film and a pint.
Stagecoach have a range of special tickets allowing people to travel extremely cheaply. One of these is called the Nightrider and offers unlimited travel on East Kent buses after 7pm.
I could use this to catch the last bus to Canterbury, which leaves at 19:19, but I wouldn't be able to return until the following morning, because the later buses from Canterbury stop at Eastry.
This is Kent's largest village and it's 5.5 mile (9 kilometre) away from my house. Would you walk that distance down unlit country lanes late at night?
I don't think so! It would be fairly safe, as there's little traffic, but still beyond what I'm prepared to do to be green.
What about other nearby towns, like Dover 8 miles south of here?
Not a chance!
The last bus to Dover was the last bus from Dover. Let me clarify that. The last bus leaves from Dover at 18:16 and returns to Dover at 19:29.
I like to be green and use public transport whenever possible. I never drink and drive, so it's very fortunate that there are lots of public houses in Deal.