Why do you not use public transport?

[LissyGlitter]

I use the bus and Metro a lot, and meet all sorts of interesting people. My dd absolutely loves it, there is no messing about with car seats, finding parking, getting lost, filling up with petrol, etc. I really fail to see why people don't use public transport for nearly every journey (obviously except for disabled people, delivering large items, people who live miles from a bus stop etc) I just pay £15 a week for my bus ticket and I can spend all day wandering about showing dd the local area. I feel so sorry for kids that are bundled up in cars all the time, watching the world go by. Surely this trend towards isolating yourself is no good for society?

[expatinscotland]

because there isn't any until the next village 3 miles away (no pavement for some of the way there) and then it costs £2.30/person each way for a 10 mile trip into 'town', oh, and it only runs once an hour, not on time, of course.

i really fail to see why people can't understand that not everyone lives in a big city.

i feel sorry for kids stuck in overcrowded buses and trains, especially in this weather, with a bunch of yobs, drunken goons and freaks.

[MamaG]

Because i live in a village in the sticks and the only bus takes 2 hours to go 24 miles away to the nearest town, costs a bomb and would have my children vomiting copiously all the way there.

Is that ok with you? My poor neglected children.

[OldLadyKnowsNothing]

Because I live a 20 minute walk on unlit, unpaved roads away from the nearest bus stop, and because when I have tried to make fairly routine trips it would take twice as long to get anywhere and cost more than taking the car that sits outside my door.

However, when I lived in a city, I used public transport daily.

[VinegarTits]

Because i would have to get a bus to DS nursery, and bus back to the train station, 2 trains then a bus to the office, it would take me twice as long and i would never make it back home in time for the nursery closing, my ds spends 5 mins of my hour journey in the car, he would spend a lot more of that time stuck on a stuffy bus if i used PT

[expatinscotland]

yeah, i have three children, too, and one has to pay child fares now, so make that about £4 to go 10 miles and take half an hour to do it. £8 both ways.

[ComeOVeneer]

LG you paint a very simplistic picture. I have to get dh to the station in the morning, dd to school and ds to nursery, all in different directions, then collect ds, collect dd, perhaps go food shopping, maybe a doctors/dentists appointment, after school clubs, swimming, ballet, rainbows etc etc. It is easy with one small non school child, but with a larger family with all sorts of commitments, especially in a failry rural setting it just isn't feasible. Don't worry, my children aren't spending their time watchig the world go by, they are very much out there enjoying it, they just get there by car!

It isn't about isolating yourself at all!

[ComeOVeneer]

I have to say actually your OP comes across as a trifle pompous.

Am so pleased you have the time to spend all day wandering about showing dd the local area, wish I had that much free time on my hands

[VinegarTits]

Yes i agree your OP is pompous, unfortunately, i can't spend all day wondering about, hoping on and off buses and trains, i have to go earn some moeny to pay my bills and feed my family

[expatinscotland]

we did have to use a bus month before last when we visited the big city.

there was such an interesting person on there!

he was drunk in the middle of the afternoon and spouting racist abuse at a child.

yeah, that was an interesting thing to explain to my 6-year-old.

[Laquitar]

I think it is the way your OP is written - very general- that got you these responses.

Of course if you don't live in the city you have to use the car more, if you have 3 dcs, or you have to drop dcs to nursery/cm in rush hour.

But i ve got a friend - in london and 1 ds - who uses the car everyday everywhere. When i asked her why she said that her dd will cry on the bus. We used it together once and her dd loved it.

I guess you have a similar friend and you meant something like this?

[sweetnitanitro]

I used to have to get 2 different buses to work before I had a car (long before dd came along). There was 1 bus an hour, it left at an awkward time and it took an hour to get to the nearest town (where I had to change buses) so I was out of the house for nearly 8 hours to work a 3.5 hour shift. And it cost me £30 a week for the privilege.

I have a car now, it's cheaper, easier and more convenient (and it has air con!)

[oodlesofpoodles]

It takes too long and costs too much. I live in the sprawl of a small town so not really rural but nearest bus stop is 15-20 min walk away for me but would take longer with toddlers. The buses go to the nearest city in more than twice the time it takes to drive and costs more than petrol and parking. They are no good at all if you want to go somewhere that is not on the route to the city.

When I lived in a bigger place I did use public transport a lot more but the routes were still like the spokes of a wheel with no way of getting around the edge without going into the city then back out.

[littleducks]

I used to use public transport, this year i spent £500 on lesson and test, bought a car and insurance and now drive

I do like my kids to learn about public transport but itbecame impractical as i dont live in a city, there were lots of things i would miss (almost all nct days out) as the buses and trains just didnt go there, i did manage to get through the week but it waas harder work with more delays that became irritating when bus i used went down to once an hour and the fare went up. It cost me £5 return to get the bus to the next town which is mor than it is costing me to run a car.

The last straw was when I was trying to get to a hosp appointemnet one day, iwas already late (see above about once an hour bus) I had walked to bus stn stop as i had to get buggy on bus with ds asleep in. I phoned hosp and was given a biot of extra time to get there, a few stops later another woman wanted to get on bus, there is only space for one buggy. I had two kids, one in buggy one on lap, she had a baby in a car seat on the pram...I said there was no space but she wanted me to live ds alone in the buggy and sit with dd aty the back of the bus so she could stand with her buggy blocking the aisle. I said that i wasnt happy to leave him, she shouted and swore at me it uposet my dd. So i thought 'sod it' and did the above so i have my own car, in a few years when i no longer have toddlers or a buugy i might go back to public transport but i didnt want to pay for a shit service and the hassle anymore

Wish you hadnt asked yet?

[Bonneville]

Dirty, unreliable,inconvenient times and extremely expensive. Its much cheaper by car.

[southeastastra]

because it's shite

[ChopsTheDuck]

my poor neglected toddlers couldn't even get to school when we were without a car for a few weeks recently (waiting for a new car to be delivered). My poor neglected ds1 was in constant pain because of a joint condition that means he can't walk long distances. I took my dts on a day trip by bus and had about 2 hours at our destination before I had to walk the mile back to the nearest bus stop and pay £7.50 for the 3 mile return trip.

We bought a banger in the end to last us the few months, and my kids were thrilled to be bundled up in the car again!

[expatinscotland]

'then not being able to wee because the toilet isn't accessible.'

or it's out of order entirely, which it frequently was when i was using trains a lot.

[Fruitysunshine]

Because I don't want to spend the time wlaking the 15mins to the bus stop waiting or missing the bus that comes once an hour. Then getting on and off several stops just to do my morning routine means I would not get back til lunchtime. So that means I would not have got anything else done in the morning and I would have to go straight back out again to repeat the whole thing in reverse.

I love our car, it is comfortable and reliable and I can decide on my own schedule rather than waiting for a bus. I take the train when we go into London but even then I HATE when the carriage stinks of somebody's BO and there is nowt you can do about it, not to mention ill-mannered people or the odd drunk that wants to pass comment walking through the carriage.

People may say we are lazy or over indulgent but the car industry is a huge part of the government coffers when you consider the purchasing of a car, car tax, insurance and fuel costs. It is all taxed and if I am going to be taxed to the hilt to use my car then I am going to use it at every reasonable opportunity!

Fruitysunshine
p.s.: I do walk occasionally, if I am coming home from the pub after drinking too much and therefore cannot drive the car that I took there in the first place!

[littlerach]

It is too expensive

We are vsiting family in September at the other side of the country so we thought we'd get the train.
£250
And that's with a rail card.

Petrol won't be any where near that.

And more locally, it costs about £7 return on train to nearest city. Plus dds.
Then I have to get to the station.

Just not parctical.

However, when I lived in Bath I got the bus every day.

[cheesesarnie]

i would if theyre was a decent service here.

at those who have

[ABetaDad]

I do not think the OP is being pompous.

Interesting that so many people say they live in an inconvenient place for work, school, etc. Interesting also that so many people get so defensive about having a car. A lot of old people have made themselves vulnerable by depending on a car and then becoming too old/ill to drive but living too far from public transport.

Well there is an answer to public transport problems. Live in a convenient place. I have no car, deliberately live in a place that has public transport. I have shopping delivered and get an occassional taxi and it works. It just requires a change in lifestyle.

There are plenty of MNetters who do not have cars. Not that I would berate anyone who wants a car. I just think like the OP, we could all use public transport more.

It is not expensive either compared to the full cost of owning a car (i.e depreciation, fuel, licence, repairs, tyres, insurance, parking, speeding fines).