Type any full UK postcode. The tool geocodes it via Postcodes.io and finds all NaPTAN-listed bus stops within your chosen walking-time radius (default 5 minutes ≈ 400m).

Postcodes covered: all of mainland UK plus Northern Ireland (Translink data). The Scottish and Welsh networks are well represented in NaPTAN.

Default minimum is 2 buses/hour at peak. Increase to 4 or 6 if you need turn-up-and-go service. Stops below your threshold are filtered out — useful if you're evaluating whether a postcode meets a specific accessibility standard.

The 0–100 viability score combines: number of qualifying stops, weighted average frequency at peak/off-peak/weekend, distance to nearest stop, and number of distinct routes. Above 70 = viable car-free; 50–70 = car-light; below 50 = car-dependent.

The score is colour-coded (green/amber/red) with a one-line recommendation. It's opinionated — disabled, families with school-runs and shift workers may need to weight differently.

Each stop card shows: name, walking distance, peak buses/hour, off-peak buses/hour, Saturday and Sunday frequency, list of routes serving it, and direction (towards / away).

Look for diversity: 3 routes covering different destinations is more useful than 6 buses/hour all going to the same town. The route list reveals whether you can reach work, shops, hospital and city centre from one cluster.

The Service Chart visualises peak vs off-peak vs weekend frequencies across all qualifying stops. Quick way to spot whether a postcode has consistent service all-day-all-week or is heavily peak-biased.

Heavily peak-biased = good for 9–5 commuters but bad for shift workers, parents with school-runs, or retirees who travel off-peak.

Combine the viability score with your honest mobility needs. Score 80+ AND you don't do >50-mile trips weekly = strong car-free candidate. Score 60–80 = car-light (one car for two adults, or car-club membership).

Run the financial side: monthly bus pass + 4 Uber trips/month + 2 rail returns/month vs car ownership at AA average. Car-free typically saves £1,500–£3,500/year if the score supports it.

NaPTAN (National Public Transport Access Nodes) is the UK reference dataset for every bus stop, train station, ferry terminal and tram stop. Each stop has an ATCO code — a 12-character ID like 1100DEM26049 — that's used by every operator timetable, journey planner and signage system.

Stops have hierarchy: a "Stop Area" (e.g. a bus station) contains multiple individual "Stop Points" (each platform/bay). The tool sums service across all stop points within a stop area, avoiding double-counting.

Coverage gaps: very rural request-stop services and demand-responsive transport (DRT) are inconsistently coded; the tool flags such routes with a warning.

The Bus Open Data Service mandates timetable, fares and live AVL data publication for all English bus operators (since 2021). Operators upload TransXChange XML files which the tool parses to count buses per hour per stop per period.

Coverage is near-100% for England, ~90% for Scotland (where Transport Scotland publishes via separate channel), ~95% for Wales. Northern Ireland uses Translink's GTFS feed which is also integrated.

Common data quirks: school-only services often appear in headline timetables, inflating peak-hour counts. The tool excludes routes flagged "school" in TransXChange. Replacement bus services for closed rail lines appear and disappear — check the timetable last-updated date for stale data warnings.

This tool uses Haversine straight-line distance × 1.3 (typical urban detour factor) for fast scoring. Real walking time depends on street network — a 200m straight-line walk might be 400m via the actual pavement if a railway, river or fence intervenes.

For high-stakes decisions (e.g. evaluating a house purchase), cross-check with Google Maps walking directions for the specific stop-to-property route. The tool's 1.3× factor is conservative for grid-pattern urban areas, optimistic for suburban cul-de-sac estates.

Walking pace assumed: 1.4 m/s (5 km/h), typical for healthy adults. For elderly or mobility-impaired users, halve the radius or set the walk-time to 3 minutes.

UK city/regional bus passes vary widely. London bus-only weekly is £25 (£100/month equivalent), while a Manchester Bee Network adult month pass is £80. Liverpool Saveaway daily £4.30, monthly £80. Tyne & Wear weekly £30, four-weekly £105.

Break-even vs single fares: most cities, monthly pass = ~30 single trips. If you bus 8+ trips/week, the pass wins. Annual passes typically save another 8–10% over 12 monthlies but require £900–£1,500 upfront.

Concessions: state pension age = free off-peak bus pass nationwide (after 09:30 weekdays, all-day weekends). Disabled persons concessionary travel varies by council. 16–25 Railcard does NOT cover buses, but some councils offer young-person bus passes.

Fully car-free: viability score 80+, urban or town-centre postcode, willingness to plan trips. Best for singles or childless couples without elderly dependants. Annual saving £3,500–£6,000.

Car-light (one shared car, two adults): viability score 60–80. The car covers weekends, school runs and >25-mile trips; bus/rail/walk covers daily commute. Annual saving £1,500–£3,500 vs two cars.

Car-club / occasional rental: viability score 70+, 0–2 weekend trips/month. Zipcar, Enterprise Car Club, Co-Wheels charge £6–£8/hour or £35–£60/day. Below ~6,000 miles/year, car-club beats ownership.

Insurance impact: shedding the daily-driver car drops household insurance significantly; named-driver on a car-club account costs £60–£120/year for the membership.