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public v private transport
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Penman



Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 4751
Location: Swindon, Wilts.

PostPosted: Fri Mar 09, 2018 9:19 pm    Post subject: public v private transport Reply with quote

Hi
I have, today, had the opportunity to do a public transport v private transport comparison.
I had a car to pick up in Hamilton, Scotland for work and no car to deliver.
The journey was;
Darwen-Blackburn 07:20 bus, Blackburn- Preston train, Preston-Glasgow train, Glasgow-Hamilton train, Hamilton to customer by Taxi arr 13:00, cost Bus £3.90 Train £19.25 Taxi £5.60 Total £28.75
By car. Hamilton to Heywood Lancs, this passed within a couple of miles of my home so I will divide it into Hamilton to Darwen dep 13:15 arr 16:15 and Darwen to Heywood dep 16:15 arr 16:45. fuel cost; £15 left the gauge about where it was when I picked up the car.
Heywood back to Darwen dep work 17:05 lift to bus stop in the town (no bus service within a mile of our works) bus to Bolton then Bolton to Darwen arr 19:30, cost zero because I used my NOW card.
So 12hrs 10mins out of the house, 8:05 hrs on public transport and 3:30 hrs in the car, car costs under 2/3 rds those of the public transport.
People do sometimes say what about the other costs of the car fixed and variable such as tax/insurance or servicing, but the fixed costs have to be paid even if you leave the car at home and the earlier need for servicing because of today's mileage would be negligible.
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Rootes75



Joined: 30 Apr 2013
Posts: 3788
Location: The Somerset Levels

PostPosted: Sat Mar 10, 2018 9:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Around here in Somerset our train links are limited so its mainly by bus. The fares are quite high in my opinion, £4 for a 7 mile journey is one we paid recently.
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Kenham



Joined: 12 Mar 2012
Posts: 209
Location: Kent

PostPosted: Sat Mar 10, 2018 10:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

My wife and I had to go to London a few weeks ago and the ticket price was £57. 30 for a return each from Ashford to Victoria. This was just before the snow hit us and we can honestly say we will never repeat the experience . To say the journey there was cold would be an understatement and I am used to working outside in all weathers. Cold, dirty and full of people looking at their mobile devices and not talking to anyone, we spent a day being somewhere we did not want to be and then had another freezing cold journey home, never again. One of my pet hates is rubbish strewn England but the amount of rubbish on the railway into London really is unbelievable, very sad.
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47Jag



Joined: 26 Jun 2008
Posts: 1480
Location: Bothwell, Scotland

PostPosted: Sat Mar 10, 2018 11:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Penman,

You could have save the Glasgow-Hamilton train cost by jumping off at Motherwell and the taxi would have been about the same for the two miles to Hamilton Very Happy

Art
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Penman



Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 4751
Location: Swindon, Wilts.

PostPosted: Sat Mar 10, 2018 1:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Art
I have in thee past jumped on and off rear platform double deckers, but I think i would have needed a sledge with a retarding chute to attempt jumping off a Virgin there. Laughing Laughing Laughing Laughing
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V8 V10
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ukdave2002



Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 4100
Location: South Cheshire

PostPosted: Sat Mar 10, 2018 2:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I use trains whenever I can; I have to go to London for work most weeks, hop on the train at Crewe, comfy Virgin train, can have a coffee whilst doing a bit or work, I find it relaxing Smile

I also have to go to Hatfield quite frequently, if I get a train; its into Euston, walk to Kings Cross and train to Hatfield, now the quality of the Kings Cross to Hatfield train is appalling; dirty, cramp seats, no WiFi, fortunately its only 20 mins, then a cab to the office.
Time-wise driving to Hatfield is slightly quicker, (as long as the M1 & M6 are behaving) cost wise its £40 of fuel driving compared to over £300 on the train, however I gain 3 hours of work time on the train and can have a shandy on the way home Smile

Dave
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MikeEdwards



Joined: 25 May 2011
Posts: 2464
Location: South Cheshire

PostPosted: Mon Mar 12, 2018 11:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It all depends on the journey. I sometimes go into Manchester (from Crewe) to have a look around the shops, I used to always do this by car but have now switched to going by train. Going by car, it's roughly 40 miles each way, and at roughly 30mpg that's about 2.5 gallons of fuel, so £13-ish at the moment. A train ticket is around £17, but the key difference for me is the parking.

Park in Manchester city centre and you're looking at a minimum of around £6 last time I did it, rising quickly to nearly a tenner and going up from there, the longer you stay. Compare that to a choice of several car parks near Crewe Station at under £3 for the whole day, and the train is cheaper. It's also quite a bit quicker for that journey, as long as nothing goes wrong.

Obviously where the car wins in this situation is the moment more than one of you is travelling.
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badhuis



Joined: 20 Aug 2008
Posts: 1390
Location: Netherlands

PostPosted: Mon Mar 12, 2018 1:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Main problem for using public transport is that it is not available at my door step, and needs extra travel from the station to the destination.

One of the office I frequently visit is 110 kms away (near Amsterdam).
Using public transport means a 10 minute bike to the station, then 80 minutes to an Amsterdam station, then 15 minutes by tram, then a 15 minute walk.
Using the train means wishing it is not raining (bike, walking). Trains are always full, and there is a change of trains halfway so again a bit of a fight and luck to get a cramped seat next to a smelly or noisy passenger. The tram is the same only there are even less seats available.
By car it takes 80 - 120 minutes, depending on the rush hour, from door to door. The car journey means concentration - there are lots of idiots during the rush, and when bad weather it needs even more concentration. The bonus is that I can listen radio, or music, and sing along as loud as I wish.

The other office is just 15 minutes away by train, same 10 minute bike to the station and a 8 minute walk to the office. This is not a bad journey as there is no change of trains needed. If the weather is good it is a good fresh alternative.
By car it takes 25-30 minutes, a very nice distance for taking a classic plus there is private free underground parking. If the weather is good it is an excellent opportunity to take the convertible or motorbike.

One extra negative for the public transport is that you always need to check the time in order not to miss the train, bus or tram. By car there is never a need for that which I find much more comfortable.
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Bitumen Boy



Joined: 26 Jan 2012
Posts: 1733
Location: Above the snow line in old Monmouthshire

PostPosted: Thu Apr 12, 2018 8:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This story may be of interest. Man buys, taxes and insures a banger for a trip from London to Bristol for less than the rail fare, still has the car to flog on and reckons he might even make a profit on it.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/bargain-hunter-buys-car-100-mile-trip-bristol-cheaper-train-151134781.html
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Bitumen Boy



Joined: 26 Jan 2012
Posts: 1733
Location: Above the snow line in old Monmouthshire

PostPosted: Fri Apr 13, 2018 11:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quick update to my previous post - the "banger cheaper than train ticket" story has been debunked to some extent by Simon Calder, who normally seems to know his onions when it comes to travel. My thinking is that there are so many variables nobody will ever come up with a definitive answer... Confused
https://uk.yahoo.com/style/apos-life-hacker-apos-bought-112237227.html
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Riley Blue



Joined: 18 Jun 2008
Posts: 1750
Location: Derbyshire

PostPosted: Sat Apr 14, 2018 8:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bitumen Boy wrote:
Quick update to my previous post - the "banger cheaper than train ticket" story has been debunked to some extent by Simon Calder, who normally seems to know his onions when it comes to travel. My thinking is that there are so many variables nobody will ever come up with a definitive answer... Confused
https://uk.yahoo.com/style/apos-life-hacker-apos-bought-112237227.html


I checked yesterday and found an off-peak Paddington to Bristol train ticket costs £80 which, coincidentally, is the price he paid for the car alone, never mind anything else to enable it to make the return trip.

My O/H commutes to Sheffield by train, only a 20 minute trip, but far less expensive and stressful than driving which can take up to 50 minutes during the rush hour as I found when attending early morning hospital appointments for several weeks.
She picks her train times carefully, preferring the London - Edinburgh express rather than local trains, sits with the same group of commuters every morning and they've got to know each other quite well. Evenings are different because their work hours vary or they may do some shopping but she doesn't find train travel too onerous. The main problem is train delays due to engineering work, signal failure, bridge strike or, sadly, people being hit by trains.
She knows to the second what time she needs to leave home for the walk to the station and we can track her train time on-line, following it every inch of the way on a map if necessary so if it's delayed, she leaves later.

A few weeks ago she had to go to London for the day so I took the opportunity to go too and visit the Churchill War Rooms - my first long distance train ride in four years.
We booked train tickets on-line with reserved seats, travelling off-peak and I decided to pay the extra for 1st Class on the return trip as it was only a few pounds more. It was all very civilised, both going and returning with comfortable seats, enough space, we could charge our phones and connect to Wifi if we wished; several lone travellers were working away on laptops or tablets.
Returning was even more luxurious; a 1st Class lounge at St. Pancras with complimentary coffee, tea or glass of wine and snacks, TV and newspapers. On the train the seats were more luxurious with more leg room and the refreshments were again complimentary - nothing lacking at all.

We both have bus cards so sometimes I hop on the express bus to Sheffield in the afternoon, meet her after work for a meal and a visit to the cinema. That bus is a limited stop service, it has leather high-back seats and Wifi and with the help of bus lanes whizzes me to the city centre in around half an hour and its local bus stop is a three minute walk from my front door.

With such convenient low cost or free public transport close at hand there's one question I keep asking myself - why do I have four cars...?
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alastairq



Joined: 14 Oct 2016
Posts: 1950
Location: East Yorkshire

PostPosted: Sat Apr 14, 2018 8:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A downside to train travel [flying has the same problem] is that the train probably doesn't take one to one's actual destination?

Stations not being on every street corner?

So the journey cost by train is a trifle unrealistic..if one then has to factor in the costs [in time , as well?] of using buses or taxis to get either [a] to one's starting station, or [b] from end station, to one's final destination?

But then, were things like parking charges factored into the cost of the car?
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Bitumen Boy



Joined: 26 Jan 2012
Posts: 1733
Location: Above the snow line in old Monmouthshire

PostPosted: Sat Apr 14, 2018 1:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm not defending the "bangernomics" guy as I have little interest either way, but I'd just draw your attention to a couple of points. 1, he only seems to have been interested in doing the one way trip for some reason or another, and 2, the intention seems to have been to flog the car on quickly, so possibly no parking to pay - in any case there's nothing to say his ultimate destination was the centre of Bristol, I know one place that's surprisingly still free a couple of miles from the centre so there could well be others.

It's not something I would probably do in the same circumstances, leaving it on the pile marked "too much hassle", but it's an interesting idea none the less. And if the real intention was to start a conversation, then he's succeeded on this forum at least!
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ukdave2002



Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 4100
Location: South Cheshire

PostPosted: Sun Apr 15, 2018 10:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

riley541 wrote:
Bitumen Boy wrote:
Quick update to my previous post - the "banger cheaper than train ticket" story has been debunked to some extent by Simon Calder, who normally seems to know his onions when it comes to travel. My thinking is that there are so many variables nobody will ever come up with a definitive answer... Confused
https://uk.yahoo.com/style/apos-life-hacker-apos-bought-112237227.html


I checked yesterday and found an off-peak Paddington to Bristol train ticket costs £80 which, coincidentally, is the price he paid for the car alone, never mind anything else to enable it to make the return trip.


Or if cost is the main factor, he could have got a no frills Megabus; Runs from Temple Meads (main Bristol railway Station) to London Victoria Coach station, costs for a single vary between £5 and £9 depending on what time of day you travel, takes just under 3 hours, so an hour longer than the train, probably not much different to driving....

Dave
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Bitumen Boy



Joined: 26 Jan 2012
Posts: 1733
Location: Above the snow line in old Monmouthshire

PostPosted: Sun Apr 15, 2018 2:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ukdave2002 wrote:
riley541 wrote:
Bitumen Boy wrote:
Quick update to my previous post - the "banger cheaper than train ticket" story has been debunked to some extent by Simon Calder, who normally seems to know his onions when it comes to travel. My thinking is that there are so many variables nobody will ever come up with a definitive answer... Confused
https://uk.yahoo.com/style/apos-life-hacker-apos-bought-112237227.html


I checked yesterday and found an off-peak Paddington to Bristol train ticket costs £80 which, coincidentally, is the price he paid for the car alone, never mind anything else to enable it to make the return trip.


Or if cost is the main factor, he could have got a no frills Megabus; Runs from Temple Meads (main Bristol railway Station) to London Victoria Coach station, costs for a single vary between £5 and £9 depending on what time of day you travel, takes just under 3 hours, so an hour longer than the train, probably not much different to driving....

Dave


Possibly... I forget the details but Stagecoach were in trouble recently over their Megabus advertising. They've had to stop talking up the lowest fares as there might only be one ticket per journey at that price, in other words it was a bit of a scam - what a surprise, eh?
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