Better Transport

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If you aren’t used to travelling by train, bus or bike, or on foot, it can be hard to know where to start. Not knowing which bus to take, how to navigate a strange town or how to find the cheapest train ticket can put a stop to your journey before it has started – so we’ve compiled a list of some excellent, free-to-use websites that will make planning your trip by green transport easy.

Getting around the UK
Getting around London
Plan your trip by train
Plan your trip by bus
Plan your trip on foot or by bike
Car sharing
Getting around Europe
Share your sustainable transport tips

Getting around the UK by green transport
The Government’s online journey planner helps you plan your trip from door to door by public transport. You simply enter your start point, your destination and when you want to travel, and it does the rest.

Getting around London by green transport
Transport for London’s online journey planner is great for getting around the capital.

Plan your trip by train
To plan your journey by train, visit the National Rail Enquiries website.

How to get a cheap train ticket
You’ve probably heard the claim that a train ticket from X to Y costs hundreds of pounds, while the equivalent domestic flight costs less than you’d find down the back of the sofa, right?

Well the claim doesn’t always stack up.

Just like flights, train tickets vary massively in price. To get a cheap one, you just need to know a few tricks of the trade…

• Plan ahead: Advance fares are a fraction of the price of walk-on fares, and the sooner you buy your ticket, the better the deal. What are you waiting for?
• Be flexible: If you can, try different days and times. Travel outside commuter rush hour and other busy times to get the best price.
• Be persistent: Whether you buy online, over the phone or at a station, never settle for the first price you’re quoted. Find out whether travelling earlier or later, or to a station slightly further from your destination, will lower the price. You might be surprised at the difference it makes.
• Try singles: Two single tickets often cost less than a return ticket. Check both options before you buy.
• Get a railcard: Young Persons Railcard… Family Railcard… Senior Railcard… Disabled Persons Railcard… Regular network railcard… These cost around £20, and save you at least one-third on your fares. If you’re eligible, get one today! http://www.railcard.co.uk/

But is it worth going to all this effort, just to buy a train ticket? How much difference does it really make?

Well, a standard class ticket from Manchester to London could cost you £109.50… or it could cost you £8.25. Better take the cushions off that sofa…

Plan your trip by bus
Traveline helps you to plan your journey by bus or coach. The information line (0871 200 22 33) is better than the website.

Plan your trip on foot or by bike
Google maps are excellent for walkers and cyclists. Print off a street map of anywhere in the country, or get detailed directions to your destination.

Walkit.com works in a similar way to Google Maps but caters specially for walkers, telling you how long your walk will take and even how many calories you’ll burn. At the moment it only covers central London, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Newcastle / Gateshead.

Or try Open Street Map: a free map that users can edit, a little like Wikipedia.

The well-signed National Cycle Network is made up of traffic-free paths, quiet lanes and traffic-calmed roads. Find your nearest route.

Car Free Walks is a new website listing UK walks that can be reached using public transport.

Car sharing
These car sharing websites let you contact other people making the same journey as you. Travel in one car, rather than two, three or four, save money and reduce your carbon footprint.

• National Carshare
• Liftshare
• Carshare.com is a directory of local car sharing sites

Getting around Europe by green transport
Travel to Europe by train, avoid airport queues and arrive refreshed. The Eurostar website is the place to start. You can now book through fares to the continent from 68 different UK stations.

Proof that it’s better to travel to Europe by train than by plane

To plan more extensive train travel around the continent, try Rail Europe. As well as point-to-point tickets you can buy InterRail passes, or book your ticket on the Snow Train to your choice of ski resort.

The German timetable website http://bahn.hafas.de was recommended by readers of this site as brilliant for planning cross-Europe train trips.

"I want to travel from Looe in Cornwall to Istanbul, but surely it will take ages to find train times and routes. No! Go to http://bahn.hafas.de and select English language. Enter date, departure and destination, and your trains and changes are listed, even including platform numbers if Geman stations are involved. Total time, less than 60 seconds" - Chris Bastian.

Prefer the bus? Try Eurolines, for low-cost travel on Europe's express coach network.

Supporters of Campaign for Better Transport get 10% off Eurolines. Support Campaign for Better Transport now.

Seat 61 is a mine of information for adventurous travellers who don’t want to fly. Plan your trip by train and ship from the UK to anywhere in the world, from Asia to America, the Trans-Siberian Railway to the Orient Express.

“You'd be surprised where you can go by train and the occasional ferry: Italy, Spain, Greece, even Morocco, easily, affordably and remarkably swiftly. The difficult bit has always been finding out how to do it. Big Business would rather sell you flights, flights, car hire and more flights! That's why I started Seat 61. Trains and ships treat people like human beings. You can sleep in a bed, eat in a restaurant, you have space to move around. You don't have to be strip-searched or belted in! But best of all, you actually get to see and appreciate where you're going, something that's missing from air travel. You're not just doing the planet a favour; you're doing yourself a favour as well” - Mark Smith, Seat 61

Share your sustainable transport tips
Do you have tips for people travelling by train or bus, on foot or by bike? Let us know by email, or share your advice in Readers Help Readers.