Arriva has announced its profits were significantly boosted in the first half of this year, as people think of ways to save money in the middle of the economic crisis.
Having adopted the CrossCountry rail franchise last year, the firm has seen a 10 per cent increase in passenger numbers from January to June, raising its profits to £14.8 million this year.
According to the firm's figures, income from buses was also up by 20 per cent, with profits now totaling £46 million.
Arriva's chief executive officer David Martin was delighted by the news and said all of the company's divisions are "growing strongly" with the firm gaining "real momentum".
He also commented on the rising fuel crisis: "Arriva has also secured most of its fuel for next year, so it won't suffer too much if the price rockets again."
It seems the slow economy has spurred workers to save in other ways too, as supermarket Sainsbury's reported a rise in lunch box and sandwich bag sales in June.
As a further economy, people are also looking for ways to avoid commuting altogether, according ClickAJob Marketing Manager Anders Jensen.
"Working in your local area has all kinds of advantages as well as saving," he points out.
"Reduced travelling time for instance makes a huge difference to the quality of work/life balance, especially with commutes are as long as one-and-a-half hours each way every day."
"Added up, that additional 15 hours of leisure time per week makes a huge difference to a person’s well-being," he says.
"Of course the savings make a huge contribution to coping with the credit crunch too – just maybe that blue sky holiday is still safe after all," he continues.
"Making economies like that is really a pleasure."
Digg 
Delicious 
Reddit 
StumbleUpon 
Google 
Technorati 
Netvouz