A canny holidaymaker has embarked on 320 mile bus tour over three days for less than £40 - after taking advantage of a bus fare cap.
Andrew Cowell, 47, set off from his home in Allestree, Derby on April 13 and will arrive in Penzance on April 15 after travelling on 20 buses.
The railway worker started his journey by travelling from Derby to Swindon, Wiltshire on nine different buses.
He will then get on seven buses from Swindon to Exeter and on the final day of the route, Andrew will travel to Penzance on four different buses.
But because of the government's £2 fare cap on bus bares in England, the 36-hour journey will only cost him £39.50, excluding food and accommodation.
Have you got a travel story to share? Email webtravel@reachplc.com
After doing a similar journey in February where he travelled from Derby to Whitby, North Yorkshire onfive buses, Andrew says he thought he needed 'more of a challenge.'
He said: "I needed a bit more of a challenge this time and this is about as far as you can go in England from Derby using the £2 bus fare as it only applies in England.
"I also like Cornwall so it just seemed like a good place to go."
Andrew is planning to spend two days in the Cornish seaside town and will then be getting the sleeper train to London and before getting a train back home.
He said: "Getting another 20 buses back would be a bit much, even by my standards."
Andrew has also said that if we want to keep the 'bus network, then we need to keep using it' and that he thinks the scheme has 'helped increase bus usage' already.
The rail operation planner added: "I know that the £2 scheme has helped increase bus usage.
"But if we want to keep a reliable bus network, then we need to keep using it.
"If everyone who could did one journey a week by bus instead of driving, then it would make a huge difference to the environment and to the buses.
"I've been speaking to different people today who have told me that if it wasn't for the scheme, then they wouldn't use the bus service."
It was announced in February that a £2 cap on bus fares for millions in England will be extended until the end of June.
In a huge win for passengers, cheaper tickets have become available for an extra three months after they were earmarked to finish at the end of March.
Campaigners are calling for the policy to be made permanent to prevent the benefits being lost when prices are hiked back up.
The average single bus fare for a 3-mile journey outside London is £2.80 - meaning passengers will save almost a third of the single ticket price.
Passengers in rural areas, where tickets can cost more than £5, will see even greater savings.
Rishi Sunak has agreed to a £75million investment to help make travelling more affordable until the end of March.
