Public transport, a bit crap isn't it?

[Hip Priest]

Sounds like a bit of a trek. I live in a big city, so public transport (well, the Metro) is excellent. Much better than commuting by car.

 

[sidevalve]

As usual the rules and guidelines for public transport are set by the politicians who tend to work/live/commute in or to London. So long as the tube or buses there are running well all is pretty hunky dory chaps and we can't see what all these out of towners are moaning at. Move parliament to a nice country area and force them to use {non existant} buses and I suspect there would be a few changes.

 

[Cyclopathic]

We desperately need a huge rethink of the entire transport system in this country. With service like we have it is no wonder that people are so dependant on their cars. For far too many people the car is the only truely viable option for their lives and that needs to change. It's not good enough to say that people have to simply rely less on the car, there has to be a viable option to change to.
We need a fully integrated public transport system with busses that link in with trains and taxis and each other rather than this confused, ad hoc system of each individual company only doing what is financially best for them. Transport doesn't work like that so whilst it might cost a bit to subsidise transport so that it's useful for the vast majority of people the entire country would gain by having it. Also if it was useful to the majority and they were encouraged to use it then the extra custom would help pay its way.
Last but not least every single form of public transport should have ample capacity to take a few bikes so that people can link up even more efficiently.
Well that's what I reckon anyway.

 

[deanE]

Not crap at all - absolutely first class in comparison to the public transport you get in many rural areas.

Last(quite big) village we lived in had 1 bus per week at 11am every Friday to Kendal.

The village we live in now has no public transport.

You wer lucky! When I was a lad .............................

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Took a bus today, first time in ages.
Colder on the bus than on the bike

 

[defy-one]

My son is doing an 11+ tomorrow in Kingston. We live in Woking. He needs to be there between 8:45 and 9:15 for a 9:30 start. There are no direct trains but you can get a train to Surbiton, which takes 11 minutes normally, but because it's rush hour there aren't any fast trains, and you have to take a slow train which takes half an hour. From Surbiton it's about two miles, and there are lots of buses but none that go quite the right way, and the traffic will undoubtedly be horrible, and then there's a walk at the end.

No bikes allowed on the train at that time of morning.

So it turns out it's quicker to cycle, a little over 15 miles....

Hopefully no ice on the roads. Have done the route quite a few times, Woking - Ottershaw - Addlestone - Weybridge - Walton-on-Thames - Hampton Court Road - Kingston.

Don't usually do it in rush hour, but it should be ok.....

how did he do? did he find it hard/easy etc

 

[grolyat]

The thread title fascinates me... ten (maybe twenty?) million people use public transport every day in the UK. You find that a one-off journey at a particular time of day isn't easy - so condemn the whole system as "crap." I disagree, I thinks it's OK.

 

[summerdays]

The thread title fascinates me... ten (maybe twenty?) million people use public transport every day in the UK. You find that a one-off journey at a particular time of day isn't easy - so condemn the whole system as "crap." I disagree, I thinks it's OK.

I think the main problem is that if the one time happens to someone who is contemplating using public transport more it puts them off permanently. Some of my kid's friends don't use buses, as their parents ferry them around - as buses aren't safe!!!

 

[dellzeqq]

I'm at a loss to work out why an eleven year old has to travel from Woking to Surbiton, across fifteen miles of suburbia. It sounds like an education problem, not a public transport problem.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

I'm at a loss to work out why an eleven year old has to travel from Woking to Surbiton, across fifteen miles of suburbia. It sounds like an education problem, not a public transport problem.

Maybe they are trying to get their son the best education they can by sending them to a 'better' school, but it does beg the question if they do get acccepted how is the son going to get there daily.

we went straight to Surbiton station, just got down the steps at 12:40:45 as the 12:41 was leaving, got on the next one instead which stopped everywhere. Guard said 'you could have got the fast train'. 'No, we just missed it'.... Trains are annoying like that, get there 10 minutes early and you've wasted 10 minutes doing nothing, get there on time and you miss it.

But you didn't get there on time you were 4 minutes late

The thread title fascinates me... ten (maybe twenty?) million people use public transport every day in the UK. You find that a one-off journey at a particular time of day isn't easy - so condemn the whole system as "crap." I disagree, I thinks it's OK.

It's crap because the bus did not pull up outside the OP house, ignore all other Joe Public's need & deposit said son off outside the school.

However I do have sympathy, as I start work at 7am 18 miles away, it is not possible to get to work via public transport, without setting off the night before.

Alan...

 

[Norm]

But you didn't get there on time you were 4 minutes late.

I think you misread the time, he was there 15 seconds before the train's departure time. Unfortunately, he fell foul of the "Doors close 30 seconds before departure" thing.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

I think you misread the time, he was there 15 seconds before the train's departure time. Unfortunately, he fell foul of the "Doors close 30 seconds before departure" thing.

Sorry you are correct I read he got there at 12:45 Oops

Alan...

 

[Leedsbusdriver]

Interesting views on public transport in this discussion.It's sad that people only relay their bad experiences of public transport (because it makes a more interesting story when they tell their friends and family i suppose)
Not many people tell the stories of when their train/bus turned up on time and got them to their destinations on time and without hassle,because that wouldn't be interesting would it.

 

[compo]

Since getting my bus pass I travel all over by bus. I think the buses are great. Sometimes they don't run to time, sometimes they don't go where I want to go, sometimes you get a grumpy driver but more usually the drivers are OK. Outside of the rush hour buses tend to be geriatric bus service, and we usually have a good laugh with the old dears. I went Harlow to Southend last week to go fishing. Harlow to Stansted airport, Stanstead to Southend on a nice coach, and all free (to me). Last year I went to John 0'Groats by local buses and National Express. With my coach card I did a return from Stansted Airport to Inverness for £10.00, then a local bus from Inverness to JOG which was £20 return.

As long as you can accept that buses are not taxis and to an extent you have to fall in line with them and accept the not so good with the very good you wont go far wrong.

 

[youngoldbloke]

Travelling by bus makes me throw up - always has, often had to get off the bus two stops early when I went to town with my mum in the 1950s. Trains were fine, until they became overheated and hermetically sealed.