Get another car for the station run or get 10 taxis a week ?

smitchy73

I'd go with the suggestion to contact one particular taxi company and see about setting up a contract they'll appreciate the guaranteed work and driver's will get to know you, plus if they're late or dont turn up you've got good argument for no fee for that day or heavily discounted. just my opinion though.

Derivative

ailuro2 wrote: »

time and effort don't always let people scooter to work ( or segway - though they are £4K:eek:)

For a city commute though a scooter is the same speed as a car.
And a bicycle / electric assist is at least 10mph for a healthy person.

I mean, on a 4 mile journey, you're talking ~20 minutes on a bicycle, and about 8 minutes in the car if there's no traffic. Double the time, sure, but I'd question if 12 minutes either way is worth worrying about for the sake of £thousands.

And on the weather comment - you can always get a taxi when it's raining.

'Effort' doesn't really come into it unless you live in the Alps and/or have to do 10 mile + journey.

Keith

Tinks74 wrote: »

Whilst cycling/biking and walking are all good options, consider the weather, it is not pleasant for you, or anyone who works with you, if you are arriving at work wet and or sweaty everyday - not all places of work have washrooms or showers. It's all well and good when the weather is fine, but bad weather can be a great disincentive for cycling.

I know there will be people wanting to say I cycle everyday wind, rain or snow, and to them I will say well done good for you.
There will be people who say they have no other option, to them I have admiration for doing what they need to do.
But if any of those people say that cycling in those conditions all year round is a pleasurable thing, I will say you are being disingenuous.

Talc + Baby Wipes.

Ride in different clothes to those you work in.

It's quite simple really.

Derivative

Obviously cycling has its downsides, but I see it as a no brainer really.
We're not talking insane distances, unless the £5 taxi fare was a low estimate.

4 miles twice a day to save £2500. Possibly £2000 first year if you include a folding bike in the cost.

In fact, if you say 200 days, 40 mins for 8 miles, that's 133 hours. You save more than £10 an hour to cycle. A fair amount of people don't make that as an hourly wage doing much less fun things.

Oh, and the sweaty comment.
A healthy average person will not sweat profusely cycling 4 miles - it's akin to walking 1 mile. Just don't hammer it all the way, go at a sedate pace - exerting twice as much doesn't double your speed.

property.advert

Are you people for real talking about cycling or walking ? Just what sort of whiff do you give off after a sweaty bike ride before settling down for your commute and a 12 hour day ? Can you imagine what that would do to your clothes ? You'd be the laughing stock and quickly sent to Coventry. This is the real world, not the Good Life.

Then you have winter. You know, the other 9 months of the year in England. Rain, fog, snow etc. Great biking up country roads on a damn pedalo in that weather, if you actually survived.

No, it is a car or a taxi, stepping from the shower to the vehicle and arriving smelling sweet for the day ahead, not as if I've wrestled a pig before breakfast. On the tube in summer you can smell all those cyclists and walkers and it is overpowering and disgusting. How on earth they can work in that stench is beyond me and their attitude to others who have to breath in their toxic fumes is deplorable.

property.advert

smitchy73 wrote: »

I'd go with the suggestion to contact one particular taxi company and see about setting up a contract they'll appreciate the guaranteed work and driver's will get to know you, plus if they're late or dont turn up you've got good argument for no fee for that day or heavily discounted. just my opinion though.

This was the plan but you'd be amazed at how little they value it and how difficult the logistics actually are. If you want to go somewhere at 14:30 then you probably don't care much if the taxi comes at 14:20 to 14:40 but if you have to go and meet a train, you really want the taxi at 14:30 and not even at 14:25 or 14:35. At 14:20 you are not ready to leave and at 14:40 it is game over and you've missed the train.

The need to constantly update on a time of return is annoying in the extreme as well.

Derivative

On the tube in summer you can smell all those cyclists and walkers and it is overpowering and disgusting. How on earth they can work in that stench is beyond me and their attitude to others who have to breath in their toxic fumes is deplorable.

Firstly, these are likely people who neglect personal hygiene, do not shower or use deodorant, or have some kind of medical condition. Added to the fact the Tube gets ridiculously warm during summer months. I know tons of people who drive who don't wash themselves often who 'smell', it really is the same deal.

property.advert wrote: »

Are you people for real talking about cycling or walking ? Just what sort of whiff do you give off after a sweaty bike ride before settling down for your commute and a 12 hour day ? Can you imagine what that would do to your clothes ? You'd be the laughing stock and quickly sent to Coventry. This is the real world, not the Good Life.

Simply offering advice to try and save you £2500. Obviously when the weather takes a turn for the worst you're better off taking the taxi. And to be honest, even if you take the daft example of 9 months, even 1/4 of your quoted £2500 is more than the cost of a half decent folding bike, which will last longer than a year.

Sweating on a sub 5 bicycle ride is not normal, it is not terribly difficult unless you're riding an old rust bucket. We're not talking the tour de France, the aim is to cycle sedately - you can do 10mph without feeling the effort unless you're fairly heavy and/or unfit.

I'm hardly fit and I don't sweat cycling into the city centre unless it's bloody hot and I'd be sweating anyway just standing around.
It is fair enough if you're talking a proper distance not to cycle, you've stated it's a few miles uphill. If you've never tried it it's silly to assume you'd be knackered!

Anyway, since you seem to disregard cycling, that still leaves electric assist cycles (you can basically sit on it..) or mopeds. Really, you will save thousands exploring the other options. Scooter is sub £1k, CBT £100, Insurance <£300, and gets 100mpg.

If not, couldn't you also go for a manual test and get cheaper cars that way? Wouldn't pay off straight away, but a decade or two down the line and a few cars later it probably will do.

This is Money Saving Expert after all, your post seems to me like someone choosing between Tesco Finest and Morrisons The Best and ignoring all the other options!

In fact, how much are mobility scooters these days? I've seen a few of those rocketing along lately, if the range is good enough that's another option! The amount of money you're talking about is well worth thinking outside the box.

Empty_pockets

You must be extremely unfit and obese if you can't manage a few mile cycle to work without smelling like "I've wrestled a pig before breakfast".

Plenty do it, me inc. Very easy, very cheap and just as quick as driving in my case.

MrsE_2

I can see why the op is against a bike, but a moped could be a really cheap solution, one I'd consider myself if I didn't have to use the m25 for work!

Derivative

Empty_pockets wrote: »

You must be extremely unfit and obese if you can't manage a few mile cycle to work without smelling like "I've wrestled a pig before breakfast".

Plenty do it, me inc. Very easy, very cheap and just as quick as driving in my case.

I've heard this reply to "get a bike" in a few threads now, and I'm still no wiser. I get the feeling they've just never tried cycling since they were young, or use some horrible Argos piece of toss that cost £70 as their reference.

"Few miles" and £5 taxi fare sounds to me like 3 or 4 miles. Honestly, that distance is nothing unless you are disabled or fairly overweight. It really is a short ride. I would compare it to walking 1 mile. If you can't walk 1 mile without 'sweating and stinking' I would suggest you go to the doctor.

And yeah, in cities it can be as fast as driving. In rush hour, faster, check the Top Gear episode for a reference. (Then again, that is an example of someone sweating on a bike, pushing on 20mph :P)

I think the OP has already made their mind up though, and no amount of trying will convince otherwise, sadly. A shame, given the money there to be saved.