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Public Transport... Not just usless.. But expensive.

Discussion in 'General' started by AndyDEL, 30 May 2007.

  1. AndyDEL

    AndyDEL What's a Dremel?

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    I currently live in Oswestry Shropshire.

    I work however in Chester, it's a good 35/40 miles to work each day. Takes me an hour max each way. Depending on the traffic.

    I had always driven to work, mainly as i like the comfort of my own car and the radio. It's relaxing to have that alone time before i hit the office.

    But a few months ago, they decided it would be a good idea to reduce the A483 to a single line carriageway while they worked on some slip roads, it was murder. Would take me 1-2 hours to get home sometimes, long ques of traffic.

    I expected to be frustrated with it, but i never expected the physical affects of it. I would feel incredibley ill when i went to go into my car to goto work, this sickness. It's quite amazing.

    So i decided to look at the public transport options. Bus wasn't an option since i lived in a rural area so it would take 1-2 hours to get to chester anyway. So i was left with the train.

    To my suprise it was £25 for a week ticket to chester. Since i drive a VW Passat 03 1.9 TDi and the mpg is around 48-53 depending on how i drive it, i was shocked. It was roughly the same ammount i spend in diesel to get to work, in addition i'd have the added hassle of getting to the station.. Then to work from the station. Then the worry of delays...

    Honestly, i was shocked. I thought it would be around £10/15... How can they charge so much for a normally poor service, not to mention the fact it is public transport afterall.

    Anyone else find this with there daily commute?
     
  2. dom_

    dom_ --->

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    You obviously dont use public transport often then.

    I think it is good value. Add in insurance, mot, tax, wear and tear. It is not bad. For not much over a fiver i can get a london travel card where i am that gives unlimited travel in london for one day. Also i can do a 1 1/2 hour bus journey for £1 each way. Way cheaper than car.
    Hence i dont have one. It is far cheaper to use public transport for me.
     
  3. Flibblebot

    Flibblebot Smile with me

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    But it's not public, the train service providers are private, profit-making companies. Added to which the current ticketing system requires that part of your train fare is split among all the train companies (regardless of whether or not you travel with those companies as part of your journey)...

    But yes, train fares are stupidly expensive, and if the government think people are going to ditch their cars for something that's often crowded and even more often late (or even cancelled without notice), then they're only deluding themselves.

    Road pricing, increasing fuel duty or road tax won't get people off the roads, a decent public transport system will.

    The problem is that public transport is only viable (from a profits point of view, anyway) in major connurbations, providing rural public transport costs money which the private companies are unwilling to spend. So unless the government start subsidising companies to run rural routes or renationalise the companies, then rural public transport will never happen.
     
  4. AndyDEL

    AndyDEL What's a Dremel?

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    To be honest i think MOT / TAX / Insurance are a given, i wouldn't consider them a factor when putting together costs for traveling to work because they're a given. Like most i use my car for more than just work. So would have it either way.

    Wear / Tear you could do, but then again add £1/2 each day and you account for that.

    For you it may be, being in London.. But we don't all live in city areas.. Doesn't seem we are given the same forgiving tariffs you lot get.

    Diesel Costs: £25 roughly a week it costs me, maybe less if i drive a little more sensibley. Add £1/2 every working day to cover wear / tear.

    Train £25 a week.. Plus possible £5 a month to get to and from train station as it's in the next town. Then £1-2 to get across chester to work in the bus.

    Isn't the whole point of public transport to be cheaper, so it stops us from using our cars and poluting the enviroment.. Fine London, large cities etc.. This may be true.. But it doesn't help the other 70% of the country. Plus London public transport overhaul has been a good sucess. So it can hardly be a compare for the country as a whole.
     
  5. DougEdey

    DougEdey I pwn all your storage

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    Trains are the most expensive way to get transported in this country if you do not book in advance.

    For instance, a return flight for me from Durham-Tees to London will cost me £60~ inc taxes and fees (sometimes a lot less). Add on a return train to Kent, £15~. Total: £80

    A return train ticket for the same journey booked in advance (super saver stuff): £45~

    A return ticket booked too close to travel: £169
     
  6. AndyDEL

    AndyDEL What's a Dremel?

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    Problem with Bus's when traveling anywhere in rural areas or even large towns... Is they never tend to give you direct routes..

    Wrexham from Oswestry is 15 miles.. 20 minute drive at max.. However on the train it ducks and dives into each town on the way, taking over an hour in the process. This is just an example of where i live, it's no doubt a common problem across the entire country. Oswestry medium sized - large town, wrexham is a large town. So it's hardly from one rural location to another.

    So the train is really the only option. So why isn't it priced accordingly.
     
  7. Hiren

    Hiren mind control Moderator

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    I personally love the public transport in my hometown of Leicester, bus service was always on time, clean and reliable. Not too mention cheap. These days I just cycle or walk to work as it's not that far.

    Long distance however I'm stuck with the unreliable trains.
     
  8. AndyDEL

    AndyDEL What's a Dremel?

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    Forgot to mention..

    My partner does the oswestry > wrexham most days.. On the bus..

    It's something like £4/5

    Hardly bargin either.

    Grr, just having a good moan. ;)

    Don't know about anyone else but i'd be quite happy to pay an extra £10 a month income tax if it meant public transport was cheaper, more reliable and had better routes. Then again i think most would.
     
  9. DougEdey

    DougEdey I pwn all your storage

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    The thing is that it's privatised, people just want to make money.
     
  10. AndyDEL

    AndyDEL What's a Dremel?

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    Of course, but shouldn't the government have some responsibility for the service since it is such a vital and required part of our society. Not to mention the growing concerns of polution and drivers every year.
     
  11. oasked

    oasked Stuck in (better) mud

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    ^ Yes, but they don't have infinite money and the majority of the population would rather see taxes spent on healthcare, education, security etc rather than on extra bus routes that probably wouldn't get much use.

    Bus routes are only ever any good if there is demand for them - so in urban areas etc. You can't expect a good bus service without plenty of paying customers.
     
  12. DougEdey

    DougEdey I pwn all your storage

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    BWAHAHAHAHA! (sorry)

    But seriously? You really think the government wants to do that? They shouldn't need to subsidise the companies, Arriva made £110million last year (even with the bombings), back in 2001 train companies made around £55 million each.

    Since then the use of public transport has rocketed but nothing is being invested, why? Because they want to keep it for themselves, their investments wouldn't be returned directly.
     
  13. sinizterguy

    sinizterguy Dark & Sinizter

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    If cars and trains work out nearly same expense-wise (which they do unless you book ridiculously in advance) I know which one I would pick - the one which is clean, where time of journey can be roughly estimated and where I dont have to put up with screaming kids, babies and women shouting down the phone so loudly that they might not even need the phone.
     
  14. Flibblebot

    Flibblebot Smile with me

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    So that'd be the train then... :p
     
  15. sandys

    sandys Multimodder

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    The country as a whole is just not setup for good public transport, people bang on about London and not needing the car but there aren't many places like London with the underground system, London can't really be used when comparing to other cities like Bristol.

    I used to take the bus daily to work, was only ten miles but required 2 buses and took 1hr 45mins to get there, that was if I was lucky enough to get on the bus in the morning as they were often full so I would walk half the route to the city centre where there was more chnace of getting on one as there were alternate routes from there, thats just not viable as a solution for daily travel to work. If I got up late I would use my bike as that would get me in in 30-40mins but again not something I want to do everyday, too many zombie drivers on the road its just not that safe and I was pretty wiped out by the time I got to work as it was up hill most of the way.

    In the car it took 15mins, so given the chioce of 3hrs 30 a day on public transport versus a bit of wear an tear on a car puts public transport in the completely unrealistic category, in fact for little over a weeks use of the bus the hours wasted at my work rate could afford to buy me a banger plus tax and insure it for a year, much more cost effective and I don't have to sit with all teh diseased people on the bus, my health has been great since taking teh car, I always managed pick up someones cold etc on the bus, it seemed like I was always ill.
     
    Last edited: 30 May 2007
  16. furqan

    furqan What's a Dremel?

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    you sir, are excellent! :thumb:
     
  17. sinizterguy

    sinizterguy Dark & Sinizter

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    My daily commute from my home in Milton Keynes to Northampton

    - 15 mins walk from home to MK Station (or a cab)
    - 16 mins train to Northampton
    - Anywhere from 30 mins to 90 mins to get 2 buses to my place of work

    or a 35 minute drive from door to door with parking at both places ?

    Dont care what the government wants, Im staying in my car.

    Not to mention bloody engineering works every weekend which are supposed to improve services, but have been going on for as long as I can remember and nothing is very different except for price hikes.

    So back to the car.

    Final conclusion for me - I will stay in my car no matter what. Public transport is just not worth the hassle. Too unreliable and sometimes you dont even get seats.
     
  18. Jamie

    Jamie ex-Bit-Tech code junkie

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    I used trains properly for the first time last weekend went from Bracknell through London to Cambridge cost £38.40 for a return and a total travel time of around 2:30 hours. I could have driven but m25 on a bank holiday weekend didn't sound like fun. The trains were pretty punctual there were no bus replacements although the waterloo-city line was shut on the way back it was easily to get around.
     
  19. dom_

    dom_ --->

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    I must point out that because i am on the fringe of london and travel in and out of london i am a bit of an odd one out.
     
  20. yodasarmpit

    yodasarmpit Modder

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    For one person making that journey once in a while then that's all well and good.
    Consider if there were two of you travelling, a car would have been quicker, less than half (more like a quarter) the cost and you don't have to put up with waiting at stations and getting connection buses.

    Public transport may work in big cities like London, but most of the nation doesn't live in the city, it's simply not the most viable option for those of us who live in more rural areas.

    Trains work for longer trips planned in advance, but for daily commutes I'll be sticking with my car.
     

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