Disabled student's ‘agonisingly slow' journey across England using only public buses

Independent

28-05-2025

A disabled photography student has travelled more than 850 miles across England by public bus, spotlighting the everyday obstacles faced by disabled bus pass holders.
Dan Bowhay, 22, a final-year student at Arts University Bournemouth (AUB), embarked on the 10-day trip from Land's End in Cornwall to Marshall Meadows in Berwick-upon-Tweed, near the Scottish border.
The same journey would take just over nine hours by car.
Beginning on January 26 and concluding on February 6, Bowhay paused his travels over the weekend of February 1 and 2 to avoid reduced service frequencies.
He now plans to showcase a 10-hour documentary film to raise awareness about the "limited freedoms" experienced by disabled bus pass users.
'I am exploring what limited freedoms and independence this pass affords me,' Mr Bowhay told the PA news agency.
During each leg of his journey, Mr Bowhay travelled up to 10 hours a day, including time in transit on a bus and waiting for a connection.
His project, titled 'Between These Times', is a 'slow cinema' style film which emphasises long takes and observational shots.
'I've taken this genre and used it to kind of convey this journey I went on in this really slow format to show just how agonisingly slow it is to travel by bus, showing all these delays in that long, drawn out way,' said Mr Bowhay.
Mr Bowhay's bus pass is granted under the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS), which provides free travel by bus in England to those who are disabled.
The pass has its limitations as it is only valid on weekdays from 9.30am to 11pm, and is not available in Scotland or Wales, which causes issues for those who commute to work or live near borders, said Mr Bowhay.
He originally wanted to travel from Land's End to John o' Groats, but was limited to finishing at the border as his bus pass does not work in Scotland.
Aged four, Mr Bowhay became visually impaired when he developed cataracts in both eyes.
Mr Bowhay's left eye was removed and replaced with a prosthetic when he was four and he has limited vision in his right eye after the lens was replaced to treat his cataracts.
His condition means he struggles with his sight and depth perception, meaning he is unable to drive and is reliant on public transport for travel.
Mr Bowhay was inspired to create the film by the difficulties he had accessing public transport independently, where he grew up in Bishops Waltham, Hampshire.
'I attend a lot of hospital appointments at Southampton, and getting there independently is pretty impossible,' he said.
He said moving home after university does not feel 'viable' as the lack of public transport in the area limits his independence.
Of the 26 buses Mr Bowhay took during the 10-day journey, he said only three had audio and one had visual announcements to indicate the location of each stop, making travel more challenging for those with visual or hearing impediments.
'I had to spend a fair amount of time sort of looking out the window and trying to work out, actually, where I am, where I need to get off,' he said.
Problems Mr Bowhay faced during the trip included bus delays of up to 40 minutes a day, waiting times of up to a several hours for connections and difficulties with scanning his pass, meaning he often had to present his pass to a driver.
Mr Bowhay said he wants more investment to go into bus services and for the 'public attitude' to be more understanding of the challenges faced by disabled people using public transport.
The film will be shown at AUB's summer show from July 10-21 and Aberrations Collective's Show in Copeland Gallery, London, from July 31 to August 3.