Cost of public transport!!

[Piemaster]

If I go into the city centre I can take a bus.
If I go with my wife we will take the car as its cheaper to drive and park.

(Ok, it'll be bike for me usually, possibly even walk as it only takes an hour)

 

[growingvegetables]

In defense of public transport, at least here in Edinburgh.

It may be one of the last examples of PUBLIC transport left, at least in large connurbations - as in owned by the people, serving the people?


Anywhere else, it's "public" transport, owned by a corporate, ripping off the public (passengers) to feed shareholders, and doing their damned best to kill people who don't like being ripped off.

Shame on you, in the back row! I did NOT mention First Group!




























I was trying to be discreet!

 

[Trembler49]

The question however, is why does a public transportation network need to be a profit making business?

In any industry where the public sector provider has been replaced by a private sector provider, an element of profit now has to be generated on top of the revenue balance before. This is, unfortunately, usually accomplished by bringing in people on much worse terms and conditions (see hospital cleaners for example).

The other problem with making a public service a private business is that the focus moves from areas of low overall demand but real need, such as rural buses, onto saturating high value routes in urban areas where they can cream off the most profit. That's just how capitalism works.

The only part of the UK showing an increase in bus use since privatisation was the TfL area, which still operates much more as an old Passenger Transport Executive than a free market.

You have inadvertently hit the nail on the head. Busy routes are no problem and can be run at a profit (or with little subsidy in the public sector).

Routes with little demand run at a loss or at a large subsidy. This is a problem to a local authority where the urban users have to subsidise the country users.

The majority (urban users) are unwilling to subsidise the minority (country users), so the easiest thing to do is to privatise.

We are at the mercy of capitalism and democracy. Got a better system?

 

[ASC1951]

Went by car, £50 inc petrol and a coffee at the services.

Public transport in this country is a rip off.

You're just looking at the marginal cost of those miles. If you include all the costs of ownership - insurance, depreciation, servicing etc etc - you can at least double the marginal cost.

Was in Spain this year, local bus and a good one with a/c 4 Euro for me and the wife, return for a 8-10 mile trip. If i go to spain i never hire a car, just use the buses.

If only in the uk

Spanish buses are heavily subsidised. Spain has so much public debt that today's toddlers will be paying it back into their thirties. Whether you think buses should be subsidised, and how much, is a matter for democratic debate - but to say UK public transport is a 'rip off' is simply missing the point.

 

[Belly]

You should come on my bus. £1.10 wherever you go (50p for kids). Sorted. As long as you want to go from Heswall to Pensby and down to Heswall Shore...

 

[John the Monkey]

Mr Hammond (no, not that one) says it's ok on the trains because advance fares can be much cheaper.

 

[MissTillyFlop]

I know exactly what you mean.

Last year at Uni I moved 3 miles out from the campus. The bus would take 40 minutes, for a journey that would take me 10 mins max in the car, and each trip was £5.20, it's a joke.

If my GF didn't have the car, it was cheaper for me to take it and to drive in.

I also just paid £18.60 for a day pass today on the tube in London.

Nooooooo! Don't get an all zones one! And don't go before 9.30! If you get zone 1-3 after 9.30, it's about £7!

Or just get an oyster card.

I won't defend everything about London, but the public transport is good and comparatively low-priced. (£1.30 for ANY bus journey? Yes please!)

 

[MissTillyFlop]

We are at the mercy of capitalism and democracy. Got a better system?

Yes! An evil communist dictatorship run by me! Woo!

Everyone must give me a pie and rollerblade to work with a pack of greyhounds, whilst listening to Dr Alban!

What?! How dare you suggest I get all my policies from mid-90s sanitary produce adverts! Waaaaaaaaa! Bodyform! Body formed for Huuuuuuuuugh!

 

[TheBoyBilly]

It's often cheaper to get two tickets - using for example a journey from Oxford to Birmingham. Buy one ticket for the first part of your journey (say Oxford to Banbury) and another ticket for the second part (Banbury to Birmingham) and just stay on the same train. Worth looking into in future.

Bill

 

[Mrbez]

Nooooooo! Don't get an all zones one! And don't go before 9.30! If you get zone 1-3 after 9.30, it's about £7!

Or just get an oyster card.

I won't defend everything about London, but the public transport is good and comparatively low-priced. (£1.30 for ANY bus journey? Yes please!)

I wish I could have! I live in zone 9 and had to travel into zone 1 and then out to 2. I also had to be there before 9.30 unfortunately!

 

[MissTillyFlop]

I wish I could have! I live in zone 9 and had to travel into zone 1 and then out to 2. I also had to be there before 9.30 unfortunately!

Zone 9?! Is that Amersham way? That takes the Mick quite a lot, especially as then you're on the broken metropolitan line...

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Coventry buses have a £3 40p daysaver, pay your money and travel all day, the problem is its long winded, I'll only use the bus if I'm travelling with the mrs or I can't use the bike. Generally fare structures tend to be complicated though, if you know your way round the fares theres usually ways to cut the cost of a trip a bit.

 

[downfader]

Bus travel on First is £4 for a "day rider" ticket here (I cant buy a return as the service provider has been crafty and messed around with the routes). About £18 for a weekly. Other services do routes nearby at around the same price.

Subsidies have been cut here too.. well basically abolished. I dont support subsidies for private companies who clearly make a profit.

I prefer to ride, walk or get a lift as its cheaper, more reliable and very much more comfortable.

 

[subaqua]

Nooooooo! Don't get an all zones one! And don't go before 9.30! If you get zone 1-3 after 9.30, it's about £7!

Or just get an oyster card.

I won't defend everything about London, but the public transport is good and comparatively low-priced. (£1.30 for ANY bus journey? Yes please!)

that was my thoughts exactly. wonder if the poster needed all the zones. paper tickets on TfL are horrendously expensive.

that said it means you can ride the tube and buses all day untiil 04.30 the following morning .


when i was in taunton a few months ago with the family we got a first family day ticket- for a tenner all day- stunning value.

same in Newquay on greyhound 7.50 for a family day ticket

 

[wiggydiggy]

For my local travel trains its reasonable compared to the buses (£2.65 peak return on train or £4.30 'dayrider' on bus), and nationally train travel is ok if booked in advance. I'd not lived close to a train station before and its quite nice to be able to travel virtually anywhere in the UK from my local branch

Taxis, well the less said the better generally Private hires are dingleberrys and the hackneys are all wopperknockers, most try to overcharge you (I'm not that drunk pal!) but I have 1 or 2 firms I can trust.