Combat rising petrol prices in Ilfracombe!

Living in a rural area such as North Devon means that us Ilfracombe people have fewer options than city folk when it comes to public transport and where to purchase our fuel. Ilfracombe People has come up with these top tips for local people on how to keep your fuel costs down.

The obvious solution is to use your car as little as possible and walk as often as you can. This is not always a feasible option for those of us who don't work in town and have to travel to Braunton or Barnstaple on a daily basis. Although our public transport is not as frequent or reliable as city services, you can make a significant saving if you're willing to commute by bus.

 FirstDay North Devon tickets cost just £4 for adults and entitles passengers to unlimited all day travel on most First bus services in North Devon as far as South Molton, Torrington, Rosemoor Gardens and Landcross. A weekly ticket costs £17 and 6 month and Yearly tickets are also available at discounted prices. All tickets are available from your First driver or the First Travel shop in Barnstaple Bus Station, and can afford you a considerable saving on your travel budget! Check out the local timetables here to see if travelling by bus could synchronise with your weekly schedule and save you some cash.

Commuters can also cut their costs by car sharing. Carsharedevon will enable you to simply and securely find others travelling in the same directio,n so you can arrange to share a car. Registration is free and the scheme can be used to find car share partners for regular commuting trips as well as for occasional leisure journeys such as to football matches or clubs. You can either pool your cars and alternate between them, or regularly use a single car and contribute to the costs.

If the thought of sharing your seat with a stranger makes you shudder then another way to make a saving on your fuel costs is to shop around for the cheapest petrol prices. Fuel comparison website petrolprices.com lets you type in your postcode and compare the prices of local petrol so you can see at a glance which is the cheapest place to buy fuel in your area! Do be warned though that petrol prices are rising so quickly and frequently that the website is not always accurate and doesn't always include rural stations-today Ilfracombe Service Station was listed as charging 129.9p per litre but when Ilfracombe People went to fill up their tank the actual cost was 132.9p per litre of unleaded! £20 for just over 15 litres of fuel. Hele Bay service station was not listed on the site, but was the cheapest we found at 130.9p per litre of unleaded. So keep your eyes peeled on your travels and choose to fill up at the petrol station with the best price.

What are your top tips to cut fuel costs during the credit crunch? Leave your advice in the box below!