Do you think public transport is expensive?

thescouselander

Pound wrote: »

I have to say I'm a bit disapointed with this thread. Whilst I understand some people can't use the bus (e.g. if they work before public transport starts) or just prefer not to I think there's a real opportunity for money saving and apart from my original post that doesn't seem to have been discussed.

Lots of people have brought up the fact that if you buy a single or a return ticket then your cost per mile is huge compared to using a car. I don't disagree with this, using public transport like this is extortionate and I would much rather own a car than do this. But the point I was trying to make was that you can use the bus without paying these high prices. Handing cash over to the bus driver is the equivelant of renewing your insurance without shopping around, leaving your savings in an ISA for years earning 0.25% interest or using a gas meter. You're subsidising the people (like me) who can it cheaper.

Using Vince's example. £5.20 sounds like a typical bus fare for quite a short journey and adds up over a year if you took that journey five times a week. But with a bus pass that exact same journey is going to cost £1.90 (averaged over a year).

I think I'm probably alone in my idea and I won't be sharing a bus shelter with any of you any time soon but I'll make one last effort to show the cost saving potential.

Here's a table showing roughly what your costs are with a car or a bus pass over 1 year. This is assuming you ditch your car and doesn't require you to cut back on journeys. Remember, to save money, you need to keep your wallet in your pocket when you step on the bus, the only thing that should be in your hand is your mobile phone (if you have an mticket) or a bus pass.



So here we have an annual saving of £1,045. The above table won't be the same for everyone as bus passes may cost more in other areas, etc. It may be more expensive or it may even be cheaper.

An added benefit I feel I should mention is health. Bus stops typically are not next to where you want to go, you need to do some walking and sometimes brisk walking. Some people do no exercise at all and walking to the bus stop twice a day would make a huge difference to how much exercise they're doing.

I know there are downsides to using public transport, there's no denying that. But it's obviously a personal decision whether you won't to tolerate those issues or save money.

Interesting stuff but we could go a bit further. What about holidays etc? I go on a few per year in the UK and usually that means needing the use of a car for the destinations I go to so you could add a few weeks of car hire to the public transport column.

Also, as you said the costs will vary - I just check for our area and a 1 year pass is £785.

just those two things close the gap quite a bit.

VinceNoir

Certainly in your case, it looks like public transport will be a cheaper option. I don't think that people are dismissing public transport as an option, but owning and driving a car is pretty much an essential for most people. It may not be essential in the true sense of the word, you could get by without one, but is it worth it?

Using my example or similar like popping the shops for something you've missed, dropping you partner at the pub or friends, a <10 min car journey turns into a potentially 40 min bus journey. Depending on the time of year it could involve waiting around for 10 mins in the rain. I could have been where I want to go and back in that time and I could do without the hassle.

Things like arranging for the council to collect something and home shopping also have their downsides. You will have to arrange a time and while shopping deliveries are usually a 1 or 2 hr window, the council could just be between 9am-5pm, meaning you have to abandon any plans and wait around for an entire day for something that could be done yourself in under an hour.

It is definitely something to be looked into, like anything, it will depend on your own personal circumstances. Kudos for making it work for you and sharing with us, but for most car owners, I don't think it's a realistic option to ditch the car and only use public transport. A saving of over £1000 a year is a lot, but for most, it'll be too much effort, particularly those with young children. A car is a luxury, but it's one worth having at the same time.

Strider590

^^ that's all very well, but to make it effective you'd have to get rid of the car completely, else you'd be paying to keep the car on the drive + extortionate public transport costs.

BigTrouble_2

Our local buses cost £2.20 single for a 3-mile journey into the town centre. For comparison, my OH takes a bus to work (27 miles) and it costs him £3 single (£5 return). How on earth can this be fair?

I spend a lot of fuel because my son doesn't go to a local school (my conscious decision) but I will not abandon my car unless I absolutely have to. This is the luxury I am willing to pay for. And if we travel as family of four it works out much cheaper - and much less hassle and more comfort! - than taking a bus/train.

I live in Greater London and it I wanted to commute at peak time for work it would cost me £25 daily (train+tube). Or face traffic jams on M25. Sometimes you don't get to chose what's best but are just forced into choosing what's the least bad. The London Weighting Allowance is a pittance compared to what you actually pay for working in London.

Mids_Costcutter

robredz wrote: »

Not an option here for shifts no buses to get you 30 miles at 5 am, if there was you would change 4 times and need to leave at 2:30am. Pushbike not an option I don't fancy dicing it with the artics on the A55.
For some who start at 9am it may be an option.

I wouldn't choose to cycle on the A55 either, but surely there are alternatives? What about National Cycle Network Route 5 for one?

GEEGEE8

I've worked out that the train will be cheaper for me than running my car.

From about £100 a month (excluding tax renewal and repairs) to £62 a month with no nasty repair or MOT bills!

My car has now gone and I'm all set for using the train when I start uni, quite looking forward to it really..

Evilm

VinceNoir wrote: »

Using my example or similar like popping the shops for something you've missed, dropping you partner at the pub or friends, a <10 min car journey turns into a potentially 40 min bus journey. Depending on the time of year it could involve waiting around for 10 mins in the rain. I could have been where I want to go and back in that time and I could do without the hassle.

I agree with this. Like the interview I had this morning: I had to take a taxi both ways which cost me £10 in total for a total journey of about 6 miles so on an average car you'd be talking £1 or £2 at the most including wear and tear.

I was going to get the bus back but since it was raining cats and dogs I was soaked by the time I got about three units down the road. Due to the buses times i would have had to wait another 15 minutes in the rain with no cover to stay dry (and an umbrella would have blown away in the wind).

VinceNoir

I think a big factor will be if you are sharing a car with your partner (or anyone else). Owning and running a car on your own is very expensive, but when you're splitting the costs 2 ways, it becomes a lot easier.

Using your example, if it were the 2 of you who had to get a bus season ticket, that would cut the amount you save cosniderably. If you then have 2 children too, the saving would probably disapear, not to mention the hassle of getting 2 kids on and off the bus every journey!

As a general rule of thumb, I'd probably say it's cheaper to use public transport if you're on your own, about the same for a couple and more expensive (and much harder!) for a family.

BigTrouble_2

VinceNoir wrote: »

As a general rule of thumb, I'd probably say it's cheaper to use public transport if you're on your own, about the same for a couple and more expensive (and much easier!) for a family.

Are you sure you didn't mean "more difficult!" for a family?

VinceNoir

BigTrouble wrote: »

Are you sure you didn't mean "more difficult!" for a family?

yep! started it saying "easier to own a car" then changed it. fixed now.