Bus Ticket Prices (Moaning)

[matthew2riches]

I had to get on a bus yesterday with my 2 French Students to take them into town. About 15 minutes away.

We waited at the the bus stop for about 1/2 hour by which time both them and I were getting fed up. Stepped onto the bus to be greeted with the cost of �1.70 per person!

So for their 1 way tickets cost �3.40 and my 'there and back' cost �3.40!!!

For 15 minutes traveling :-0

For that money I could have driven the shed (van) into town, parked all day and still had change for lunch!

They reckon buses are there to cut transport costs? I am now quite happy to drive a massive shed (van) about adding congestion and pollution to the roads because unless they lower prices - I am not paying that again.

I had to go to a meeting in London a few months back and I don't even think I paid that much in the capital!

What is going on? The country really is going to pot! Or should I say has gone?

[rana]

In recent years I haven't visited another country where public transport has cost nearly as much as in the UK. How much would your French students have expected to pay at home.

[Two_Sheds]

My local bus now costs me �5.50 return (12 miles: 46p a mile). It's only �5.80 into the city & back (60 miles: 10p a mile).
If I travel 5 miles north, it costs me �2. If I travel 5 miles south, it costs �3.50 ... it's just crazy. How do they make their prices up? I can get to London on the coach for �30 (320 miles) !

That's why I cycle if my journey is under 5 miles ... it's quicker too.

[Two_Sheds]

I am now quite happy to drive a massive shed (van) about adding congestion and pollution to the roads because unless they lower prices - I am not paying that again.

You haven't factored in the cost of your van's tax, MoT, insurance, servicing, fuel and depreciation.
Work all that out, on a cost per day or cost per mile basis, and get back to us

[matthew2riches]

You haven't factored in the cost of your van's tax, MoT, insurance, servicing, fuel and depreciation.
Work all that out, on a cost per day or cost per mile basis, and get back to us

Ok, maybe I wouldn't have change for lunch. The shed (van) pays for itself as far as MoT, insurance, tax, servicing is concerned as it does a lot of 'man with van' work.

You should know me by now....... I wouldn't have something if it wasn't covering its cost or making me money would I?????

As far as the depreciation is concerned - I bought it for �650 and with the work done on it already, it's worth about �800 lol!

I'd like to bike everywhere but the road is full of inconsiderate drivers!

[cheery tree]

hi i went on bus as car needed a new engine lucky it done now cost 8.55 to go 30 miles rip of never again

[vikkib]

You haven't factored in the cost of your van's tax, MoT, insurance, servicing, fuel and depreciation.
Work all that out, on a cost per day or cost per mile basis, and get back to us

I've never owned a car but have recently joined my local car club. It's superb! Now I've got the option to use the car when I really want to / need it but it also really helps me evaluate the *actual* financial cost of using a car for a particular journey.

The trains are on strike on Thursday and Friday this week so I've booked the car to travel the 65 odd mile return trip to my parent's house where I work.

Usually I pay �15.60 return on the train which I always thought was pretty expensive but using the car club car it's going to cost me just under �30. I pay �2 per hour (week day rate - capped at �18) plus 18p per mile. (There's also an annual charge of �60 so that works out at just over �1 a week).

It's meant that when I asked on freecycle for a water butt I could actually work out how much it would cost me to use the car to go and collect one locally vs getting a new one from a shop.

It means I'm really seeing a financial cost for each journey I choose to make using the car as opposed to walking or using public transport.

[Two_Sheds]

I'd like to bike everywhere but the road is full of inconsiderate drivers!

... except you?

[Two_Sheds]

The van pays for itself as far as MoT, insurance, tax, servicing is concerned as it does a lot of 'man with van' work.

but you aren't allowed to use it for "non-work" journeys are you?

[janeyo]

There is about one bus per week from our village. And don't think it comes back til the next day! lol
And it doesn't go where I want.

[Hilary B]

We have a car (2 actually, because we never sold the previous one when we got a replacement), because we need one for work purposes. You can't take surveying kit on public transport, and it never goes to the right place at the right time of day anyway!
Since it is 'there anyway' and most mileage is 'work related' I reckon the fuel and the 'share of maintenance' are the only relevant charges for other use. These work out about 16p per mile.
When you add in all the other things we can take wherever we happen to be going, it is MUCH better value than public transport, as well as more convenient!

[Hazel at the Hill]

Our cheap ticket takes us just a couple of stops, then the standard one way ticket is �1.70, BUT for that you can go on a trip anywhere in the city.

Not great value if you are going maybe a mile or so up the road (I thought it was expensive at �1.70 to take the bus 3 miles to the Hill to collect my bike which I'd had to leave there a couple of weeks ago - but it would have taken ages to walk), but fabulous value in that the same ticket would take me across the city and out the other side for same price.

So the 7 miles into Birmingham and back costs �3.40 - I wouldn't be able to park the car for that, let alone the cost of the car journey and the hassle of parking.

Living in the town means our buses run frequently too.

[vikkib]

We have a car (2 actually, because we never sold the previous one when we got a replacement), because we need one for work purposes. You can't take surveying kit on public transport, and it never goes to the right place at the right time of day anyway!
Since it is 'there anyway' and most mileage is 'work related' I reckon the fuel and the 'share of maintenance' are the only relevant charges for other use. These work out about 16p per mile.
When you add in all the other things we can take wherever we happen to be going, it is MUCH better value than public transport, as well as more convenient!

I'm just lucky that I can travel to where I need to go at the times I need to and don't need to lug much stuff around! We deliberately chose our house so OH could walk to the office and I could walk to the station. As we both do officey type work we don't have loads of stuff that we need to take with us.

There is no way my Dad could run his business without the car and if I'd carried on doing my jewellery business I would have needed to get a vehicle of some description too to lug all the jewellery, tables, stands etc. around. Horses for courses and all that!

[Incy]

I'm with you on the rubbish service and high cost of buses. I tried to collect my son from school on the bus once. NEVER AGAIN. It cost �1.40 each way for me and 70p for my son. The journey is about 3 miles. The worst bit was the time it took. two and a half hours to do the school run
I don't have 5 hours spare a day!

[Two_Sheds]

The journey is about 3 miles. .. it took. two and a half hours to do the school run

That's what I mean! That journey would take 15-20 mins by bike. Before I got knocked off by a driver who "didn't see" me, I was cycling 16 miles in a day to get to swimming lessons. On a normal day I bike 5 miles+ , it's fine apart from the ruddy terrible standard of driving I encounter (sad to say, but school run mums are the worst).

I'm in favour of public transport in principle, but I have to admit to hating buses.
I've been forced to use the buses since my crash. Our stop is opposite the house, but the journey to my allotment takes longer than cycling it, and I have a mile to walk at the other end, which i can't do with any kind of luggage (spuds, spades).

Going to my mum's is a nightmare, we did it last week. Every bus was late, we missed connections, they're dirty, and we had to walk 2 miles in the pouring rain with lots of baggage, because the connecting bus didn't turn up. I hate them.

It seems they're being run now for the benefit of OAPs who can spend all day on them for free, while the rest of us have to pay over-the-odds to stand up. (I'd do the same: I can't wait till I get my free bus pass)