An Oxford man tonight hailed a bus pass experiment a success, after using his new card to travel to Crewe.

Sixty-year-old Roger Jenking, from Joan Lawrence Place, Headington, took more than nine hours to complete the 100-mile journey from Oxford to Cheshire, changing bus seven times and travelling across five counties.

The mammoth bus trek was Mr Jenking's way of testing the national concessionary bus pass scheme for pensioners that came into effect today.

Pensioners can now travel across county boundaries on local services for free, the length and breath of Britain.

Mr Jenking set off from home at 8am and finally arriving in Crewe at 6.45pm.

Mr Jenking, who works part-time at the Museum of Oxford in St Aldates said: "The experiment has been a success. It's been an interesting journey and it shows what can be done with the new passes.

"I chose Crewe because it was the furthest I could go and still come back in one day.

"I could have got to Manchester if I had really pushed it, but I think Crewe was far enough.

"On the first bus, from Oxford to Chipping Norton, people were wishing me luck with my journey because they had read about it in the Oxford Mail."

Mr Jenking, who is originally from Birmingham and doesn't drive, added: "On the whole the buses were reliable, and I did not spend that long waiting for them."

He hoped the journey would send an environmental message, adding: "Hopefully it might encourage people to get out of their cars.

"This journey highlights that buses work quite well. And if it makes people use buses more than cars then I think it's worthwhile.

"If more people used buses it might encourage bus companies to lay on more services. I'm making the best possible use of my pass.

"I would advise people to use their bus passes as much as they can.

"It isn't a way to spend every day, but I imagine a few people might try and do something similar."

Mr Jenking was coming home by train tonight.