To think that I shouldn't have to be "poor" to get a bus to work?

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I commute to work either by bus or cycle. I work in the same town under ten miles away from me.
It costs less to commute this way than to drive, we do own a car but we only use it for longer journeys/large shopping trips.

I enjoy it, I get to work and home again stress free, if theres a wait I read my book/listen to music.

All previous jobs have involved extensive travel/commutes by car and I have been massively pissed off by traffice jams/petrol costs etc etc.

Since starting to commute this way I've had quite a fe comments along the lines of "oh you poor thing, when will you be able to afford to drive again?", one friend has taken to posting regular messages on facebook/group emails such as "hahahahah you get the bus. Poor people get the bus" etc etc.

Have deleted said friend, but I find it odd that the general attitude is that I commute by bus because I am down on my luck, not because I choose to.

YANBU.
I don't drive, I mostly walk or take the bus/tube/tram etc.

Sadly, I live in Milan, Italy, where the majority of people use the bloody car, despite the fact that Milan isn't huge and is totally doable by public transport.
As a result, often buses are late because the streets are blocked by trillions of cars.
I think the council owes me and the other citizens who cycle/walk/use public transport a bloody monument, instead, we are treated like 3rd rate citizens

Sorry for the rant.

I thought we were being encouraged to use more environmentally-friendly methods of transport?

that means your so-called friends are being idiots - not only do they assume you're now poor, but they also are stiking out the environmental benefits.
plus the health benefits on the days that you cycle.

I like getting buses - it's a heck of a lot less stressful

I love trains and buses, especially double decker buses. And really especially in the dark, for checking out other people's houses. and I also like listening in to conversations.

Ooh if I didn't have 2 drive between client sites all week I'd get the bus to work too...used to in my last job.

i hate buses so i cycle

Your friend is bonkers, I generally always get the bus or cycle and it's a great way to travel. I live in a smallish city and I actually feel sorry for those that still insist on driving into the centre when they don't need to as they are missing out on easy to fit into the day exercise or vital relaxing reading time

I cycle to work and much prefer that to driving. It would take me 3 times as long to drive in anyway. Just say, 'I'm sorry that you live so out of town that you have to drive in'!

That seems ridiculous. I live in a city centre where driving and parking are next to impossible, so I think everyone either walks, takes the bus or takes the train. It's just normal.

My DP usually drops me off at work and I get the bus home... It's so much less hassle. I've got the car today and had the stress of trying to find somewhere to park :(

People assume I can't drive but it seems silly running 2 cars when at a push work is a hours walk from home.

What an idiot to say this to you. Hope you're saving money & stress from going on the bus.

Is your 'friend' my neighbour?
We downsized from 2 quite large cars to one small car. DH's health doesn't allow him to drive any more and he takes public transport to work,as do DCs to school. I switched to working from home so no need for more than one small car (until DCs began to learn to drive but that's a different story).
Our delightful neighbour began to treat us completely differently as, in her eyes, we were obviously struggling financially and therefore not fit to socialise with her in the same way as previously.

Made us laugh - what an odd way of thinking and definitely no loss to us!

we have 1 car, we juggle who has it depending on work comittments (if attending meetings furher away, buses usualyl don't cover that far)

the other person gets the bus

i get to work 20mins earlier in the car, but in five times as worse mood tbh

if i didn't have to pick up little ones from nan every Wednesday i would ALWAYS use the bus, i hate taking the car.

your friend is odd. buses are great :)

Blimey I wish I could get the bus to work ! We have one car as DP works from home. I can drop DD at childminders in the morning then on to work, whole journey is half an hour. If I didn't drop DD of and simply went to work it takes me well over an hour an two bus journeys costing £1.70 each. I know because when DP need sthe car I get the bus, it is much less stressful but I am not a morning person so could not do it every day.

I love the bus! No parking hassle, nice and warm, interesting conversations going on, good views from the top deck..

I'm just another public transport user checking in - Admittedly for some people living in the countryside and working in some out of town business park, public transport links can be pretty poor.

I consider myself lucky I don't have to drive to work.

YANBU, I drive the car to work as I work out of town and work shifts so no public transport. On the days that I have a training day in city centre though I take the train. It costs £3 which is probably about the same as the petrol, plus its a lot quicker, no stress about traffic jams or finding a parking space. No car park charges if I cant find a free space. Plus there's a Starbucks on the way to the station after a day's training. What's not to love?

I practically live on the bus. Not because I can't aford to drive, but because I am crap at it. I prefer to arrive alive (and not kill anyone else on the way either).

In London most people use public transport to get to work. I work from home and my husband rides a bike to work. If anyone told him he was poor, he's piss himself laughing! (he earns a very good salary).

We recently worked out how much money we'd saved over the years with neither of us using regular public transport (apart from when we're going out or I have a meeting to attend) or having a car and it was thousands upon thousands. We sometimes hire cars for the weekend and get good deals.

A car isn't a necessity here although we will probably get our first ever car after the baby is born. We currently get the bus to all of our hospital appointments. You can't tell how much someone has based on their transport mode. I've seen celebs and politicians on the tube.

I drive to work but know plenty of people who use public transport for work and leisure. IME it is nothing to do with financial decisions though.

I personally don't as I am never that impressed when I do have to use the bus.

It costs me more to use the bus - we have free parking in town generally and where I work I park for free on side roads. It's about £4 a day on the bus from here.

Our buses claim to be every 10 minutes. They never are. The are always late than 2 or 3 show up together. I have often ended up waiting for 20-30 minutes.

To get to work on the bus would involve two buses and would take in all around 45 mins, maybe more, going in and then out of town. It is a 10 minute drive, about 5 miles. It would be too far to walk however, def not practical.

And it takes longer just for a simple journey into town - 10-15 mins max in car, 25 mins by bus.

yuk, dirty buses. Give me my car any day.

My dp takes the bus and has a similar reaction, not from colleagues but from other parents. If he needs to go anywhere for work he gets a hire car (wont allow him to take his) or they refund parking if he takes a train somewhere before the first bus/too late for last bus. We live in the countryside about 40 mins from town, we live in the centre of our village and he works in the centre of the town in offices next to the bus station. It costs a fortune to park -if your lucky enough to get a space- and a fortune in petrol to be stuck in traffic as soon as you hit town.
Very sensible.

I wish there were buses round here to take me to work, rather than having to drive. But our bus service is Shite.