travel expenses

inspirespirit

Hi. my son is on jobseekers allowance at the moment. He has been trying to set up his own business so the job centre set up a meeting with the Prince's Trust for him which he went on last week, hopefully to get the New Enterprise Allowance Scheme.
He now has heard he will have to attend a 4 day course next week before he can apply for this NEA. The location of the course is approximately 16 miles away.
It would either mean public transport which works out at just over 16 pounds a day (2 buses and a train) and obviously the inconvenience of connections. Or I can drive him which would work out at 4 journeys per day at 3.50 approx per journey. So much of a muchness really.

Does anyone know if he could get help with the costs of transport as there is no way I can afford 60 pounds for the cost of getting him there and back.

Hammyman

Not really. This is something he is doing off his own back. He can claim it as a startup expense though...

How do you get £14 a day doing it by car? You only need to take him there and back so two round trips a day. Even in my wife's 200BHP FTO it doesn't reach £14 a day. In my car doing 50MPG it only works out about £7.50.

He gets JSA and is obviously living at home with you feeding him so he can afford it out of his dole money as a one off.

Speculate to accumulate.

dseventy

Hammyman wrote: »

Not really. This is something he is doing off his own back. He can claim it as a startup expense though...

How do you get £14 a day doing it by car? You only need to take him there and back so two round trips a day. Even in my wife's 200BHP FTO it doesn't reach £14 a day. In my car doing 50MPG it only works out about £7.50.

He gets JSA and is obviously living at home with you feeding him so he can afford it out of his dole money as a one off.

Speculate to accumulate.

I agree with this, can't he use his JSA?

Plus your fuel costs are way off! What car do you drive?

Can't you take 80% of his JSA and consider the rest an investment in your son? I assume he is using his JSA for his "board" and costs of travel?

I would suggest he gets on with it and not let a week of costly travel expenses get in the way of his aspirations and dreams! Even if it means you helping him out!

D70

Louise03

You would just find a way to pay for the fuel regardless to give your son a chance wouldn't you?
I know i would, even if it meant sticking the cost onto a credit card.

Anyway maybe after the first day of the course there maybe somebody going his way that can carshare with him.

inspirespirit

Hammyman wrote: »

How do you get £14 a day doing it by car? You only need to take him there and back so two round trips a day. Even in my wife's 200BHP FTO it doesn't reach £14 a day. In my car doing 50MPG it only works out about £7.50.

He gets JSA and is obviously living at home with you feeding him so he can afford it out of his dole money as a one off.

Speculate to accumulate.

How do you work the petrol out? Am I supposed to stay there for 8 hours every day just to bring him home again? I have to drive him 16 miles there, drive 16 miles back, look after my disabled son all day then drive back 16 miles to collect him and 16 miles back home. I have googled it and it costs 3.50 each way.

ps. I don't have a credit card.

He is living at home with me and my disabled son and the reason he is trying to set up his own biz is so he can be around to help me look after my son. I am now virtually crippled due to needing two new knees and can no longer care alone for him.
If I could afford 60 pounds, then trust me, I would happily pay it.
We only found out about it today and it starts on Monday. My son has used most of this weeks money on his business.
It is incredibly difficult starting up a new business from zilch.

inspirespirit

I hope you are all correct about the petrol consumption being off. However, it is not my calculation. It is googles. I put in my postcode and the place he has to go to and it came up with the directions, the time it should take, the amount of miles, and the cost of petrol.

Adereterial

Has he spoken to the Jobcentre, or to the Princes Trust about travel costs?

If not, why not? That should be his first port of call.

They may be able to provide him with travel passes or warrants, but they're unlikely to pay for petrol.

inspirespirit

We only got the email late this afternoon. The email from Princes Trust states they cannot help with petrol expenses. He rang the Job Centre and someone was meant to ring him back, but they didn't.
He will ring again tommorrow.
Was just wondering if anyone on here might know a bit more than me.

inspirespirit

Panic over. A very good friend has offered to help us out. She is lending him the 60 quid and we can pay her back 20 pounds per week for the next 3 weeks.
Thank you all for your input.

Ames

Glad you've sorted it now, but for future reference, the google petrol consumption means nothing, you need to work it out for your car. It's quite easy to do, next time you fill it up, set the trip switch so it shows zero miles, then the time after that when you fill up you can work out how many miles per gallon you've done. You'll then be able to work out how much future trips will cost. (Although it'll be different for trips with lots of motorway driving compared to town driving).

Sorry if you already knew how to do it, I was amazed when my sister, who has a science degree, didn't! So no longer assume.

Sixer

Ames wrote: »

Glad you've sorted it now, but for future reference, the google petrol consumption means nothing, you need to work it out for your car. It's quite easy to do, next time you fill it up, set the trip switch so it shows zero miles, then the time after that when you fill up you can work out how many miles per gallon you've done. You'll then be able to work out how much future trips will cost. (Although it'll be different for trips with lots of motorway driving compared to town driving).

Sorry if you already knew how to do it, I was amazed when my sister, who has a science degree, didn't! So no longer assume.

Still, £60 for 320 miles isn't a bad estimate for an average used car.