Cost of public transport!!

[PK99]

Just in case you are unaware of the basics of capitalism. The management's job is to rake in profits. The management however do not always keep them, they are usually forced to distribute them to shareholders.

such as my pension fund!

 

[BrumJim]

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.

Birmingham Day Saver is £3.60. But has the added advantage of being able to visit places in Birmingham rather than Coventry, which has got to be worth far more than 20p! Although they are even cheaper if you buy a handy pack of 5 Adult Regional Daysaver Scratch-Off tickets. These are not widely advertised and the discount is not even mentioned on their web site.

 

[ColinJ]

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

Or even 3 each way! I discovered that I could save about £15 on one particular return journey to Coventry by buying 6 singles:

Hebden Bridge to Leeds

Leeds to Derby

Derby to Coventry (same seat on train above)

Coventry to Derby

Derby to Leeds (same seat on train above)

Leeds to Hebden Bridge

On top of that I had to make 4 bike reservations (even though the bike stayed exactly where it was at Derby) and 4 seat reservations (for only 2 trains). That came to a grand total of 19 tickets, reservations and receipts to print out. Great system, huh?

Sometimes there can be even more perverse pricing variations in public transport ... I caught a National Express coach from Coventry to Northampton which stopped at Daventry bus station half way. The fare from Coventry to Northampton is £4.70 but the fare for just the second half of the journey from Daventry would be £7.80!

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Bangernomics certainly gets the price of car ownership, all costs included (bar the social ones) taken in the round, below the price of most public transport, espeically if you have to travel at peak times. Some amazing off peak bargains can be had if you can take advantage of 'advance' fares offered by many train operators.

But public transport has one significant advantage over travelling by car...















....beer.

 

[wiggydiggy]

....beer.

True! I think I always have a couple of tins with me for the longer journeys

 

[SavageHoutkop]

Or even 3 each way! I discovered that I could save about £15 on one particular return journey to Coventry by buying 6 singles:

My winner is a similar idiotic split 3 way from Oxford <-> Manchester if you're in peak time.

 

[subaqua]

My winner is a similar idiotic split 3 way from Oxford <-> Manchester if you're in peak time.

saved £34.25 by doing this
1) Euston to Milton Keynes , 2) Milton Keynes to Crewe, 3) Crewe to Chester , 4) Chester to Llandudno junction but get off at Shotton move to different level on the station and then Shotton to Buckley junction.

the 1st 4 are all the same seat on the same train. If I wanted to get off at Shotton it put another £10 on the journey ????? not often it happens like that but the internet is a good tool for paying as little as possible

 

[Mrbez]

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

You got it in one, I live in Amersham.

 

[phil_hg_uk]

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

WOW the last time I went on the tube it cost £3.50 for a day pass .................. ok it was along time ago

 

[SavageHoutkop]

the 1st 4 are all the same seat on the same train. If I wanted to get off at Shotton it put another £10 on the journey ?????

people on the Virgin train London -> Manchester have been fined a ridiculous sum of money for getting off at Stockport (10 mins before Manchester) - the really cheap £13-ish single tickets prevent short travelling and if you get off at Stockport (and are spotted); they charge you walkup fare on the day IIRC which is a very hefty sum.

 

[Edge705]

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

+1 every bus journey seemed to be 2 euro 70 and it took us 8 to 9 miles each way thats 5 eur 40 for a return trip for two adults

However its an experience and a half travelling on spanish buses Im sure roudabouts dont come into their driving test having said that they give oozes of respect to cyclists in fact they'll stop the traffic to let a cyclist through mucho gracias espanol a boos driver

 

[wiggydiggy]

people on the Virgin train London -> Manchester have been fined a ridiculous sum of money for getting off at Stockport (10 mins before Manchester) - the really cheap £13-ish single tickets prevent short travelling and if you get off at Stockport (and are spotted); they charge you walkup fare on the day IIRC which is a very hefty sum.

Eh? How does that work, you get off early and are fined?

 

[John the Monkey]

Eh? How does that work, you get off early and are fined?

I'd assume the tickets are valid only for a specific journey?

The whole thing is a bloody racket, in any case, penalising commuters and regular travellers. The gov't, in their wisdom, declare this to be ok because of the deals on advance fares.

 

[MissTillyFlop]

Eh? How does that work, you get off early and are fined?

One word: Jobsworths.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ailway-fine-getting-OFF-train-stop-early.html

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepag...ined-114-for-getting-off-train-too-early.html

http://conversation.which.co.uk/transport-travel/petty-train-fines-for-getting-off-early/

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=21104

 

[SavageHoutkop]

Eh? How does that work, you get off early and are fined?

Yip, exactly how it works. An advance purchase ticket is ONLY valid on one train for the EXACT stations listed on your ticket**; and you are not allowed to 'break journey'. (No, I don't get it either, aside from of course wanting to discourage the entire train from disembarking and making the train late; but if that was going to happen surely it indicates your timetabling sucks as clearly there is a demand for that service?)

** of course there are about 50 different types of advance purchase tickets so check your particular ticket details!