‘I’m getting fitter by taking the bus!’
Amanda used to drive to her job at Cardiff University but lost her designated parking space when lockdown arrangements ended. With the encouragement of the Changing Steps BetterPoints challenge, she has taken to walking and using the bus instead – and not just for work, but for social activities too.
‘I had to look for a different way to get to work, so I started to use the bus’, says Amanda.
‘Around the same time, I came across the BetterPoints app on the university news pages and thought to give it a go. I’ve been using it ever since.
‘The app works really well at recording my bus journeys. You can forget about it and have it running in the background as you go about your day.
‘It is encouraging to see what difference I’m making from an environmental point-of-view, by how many grams of CO2 I’ve saved. I also find it motivating to view the progress chart, to see how many minutes I’ve done each day and throughout the week.’
Amanda now takes the bus to work every day. As a result, she has also started using it to access leisure activities and for weekend outings, instead of using the car – and has even found it encourages her to walk more.
‘I’m doing a lot more walking as a result, as I have to walk at both ends of my bus journey’, she says. ‘You might say I’m getting fitter by taking the bus!’
‘I am able to take in my surroundings more. On the walking part of my commute, I enjoy the fresh air, and checking out people’s gardens and the various wildlife.
‘I’m reading a lot more now too, as the 20-minute bus journey allows me to get my head into a good book.’
Changing Steps runs at Cardiff University until July.
