Only poor people get the bus…

[EmpressOfTheSofa]

..I was told yesterday by a close relative. In the context of mocking me.

I get a bus to work. My bus stop is literally outside my house and ten minutes later it drops me off outside my work. I pay £70 a month for this.

If I drive to work it costs petrol plus £135 a month parking fees, and the closest two car parks are each a ten minute walk from work. It also takes longer to drive because of the one way system/bus lanes. It’s a no brainer.

But I got roundly mocked and told she wouldn’t be seen dead on public transport.

This was in the context of her admiring a new item I’d bought and I said oh funnily enough two separate ladies at the bus stop have also complimented it, she then shrieked with laughter and said there’s a weird contrast between having an expensive X and then getting public transport and that I probably look like a weirdo. That the only people who use buses outside of London are poor people who can’t afford to drive.

She’s bonkers, right? And a tad nasty? I’ve been stewing on this for a couple of days and shouldn’t let her rile me but ffs.

She is a total dick head. Good people know public transport makes more sense.

Dick heads will find any old reason to sneer at others.

Find better company.

I once read a developed society isn't one where poor people have cars, it's where rich people use public transport.

Single fares outside London are high due to the mechanism that bus companies are reimbursed for pensioners passes. Day tickets often work out way cheaper.

At the moment in England the govt. has introduced a maximum of £2 for a single. Berwick to Newcastle for 2 quid!

It's a shame most of us in England won't get our pensioners pass until 66, unlike London and the other nations in the UK.

I genuinely would take the bus if I could instead of driving but due to the atrocious route planning we have where I live my 12 - 15 min car journey would take me 1 hour and 30 mins on the bus, and that would be if everything went perfectly. I hate driving but needs must, I don’t have an extra 3 hours a day, it’s crazy!

Some of you have never commuted through the east end of Glasgow on the bus, and it shows.

God damn it @Hockneypool I’ve just excitedly read through 3 pages thinking why is no one calling her a Bus Wanker. Bravo 👏 beat me to it!

There's nothing wrong with saving money or using a form of transport that is convenient. I often use public transport but then I do live in London. But I also use it elsewhere if it suits my purpose.

Overall I guess more "poor" people use public transport as they are more likely not to have cars, but I couldn't care less if someone thought I was poor anyway.

Why are you bothered? This person sounds awful. Believe in yourself and ignore ignorant or misguided views.

She ballsed it up though. “Bus stop wanker” what’s that

Who is this close relative?

That’s a ridiculous thing to say, but it’s true that attitudes to buses outside the M25 are very different to attitudes in London.
Here in the East Midlands buses are ridiculously expensive, infrequent, slow, inconvenient & generally crap. They are seen as a bit of a last resort and appear mainly to be used by students, pensioners and people who either can’t afford cars or who have lost their driving licenses. That certainly would be the assumption if a middle-aged man in a business suit was seen on a bus.

I'm not poor, I love the bus. No hassle with parking, I'm like you its almost outside my house and about 10 minutes to the city. I wouldn't use it if I was going a very long distance though.

I have always used public transport both as a professional and a SAHM with a reasonably high family income.

I live outside London and it's £1.70 for a single. I think they may actually be less than a London fare.

I have never seen another working age adult at my nearest bus stop - just school kids and pensioners.

I get buses because I think public transport makes a lot of sense, especially in cities, and I totally ignore anyone who comments.

You in Edinburgh OP? If so, it's way more convenient to get the bus.

We could afford a car if we really wanted. We don't really have the desire as do lots of walking, and buses are convenient and frequent. Spend the money we save elsewhere. Like expensive 'X'.

I do reckon people think poor people use it. ASAIK rich people are rich because they're (sometimes) good at not wasting money unnecessarily.

What a ridiculous comment! I know plenty of wealthy people (all with assets/savings worth millions) who take the bus when it’s the most sensible or convenient option.

We can't afford a car so we don't have one and I go everywhere on the bus

I tell people it's for environmental reasons but actually it's cos I'm poor

I'm more annoyed that people think being called poor is an insult and offensive

@EmpressOfTheSofa YANBU. You're doing what works out best for you, easier and cheaper.
You can spend your hard earned money on more things that you want to, rather than petrol and parking costs.
Not sure why your relative is so judge about catching the bus. Different methods of transport work for different people.

Hahaha! Your relative is an idiot. I take the bus all the time. Definitely not poor and wouldn’t matter if I were. Your sister sounds very insecure

I guess what it all boils down to is that the bus is not a flashy way to travel. Your aunt sounds flashy, while you do not!

I live in a city . Bus is cheap and convenient and frequent . Love my commute . I sit back and read whilst the bus flies down the bus lane!

If it was an easy 10 minutes for me and would save on petrol/parking, I would use the bus too.
however the last time I got the bus to work it cost almost a fiver, took nearly 45 minutes and stopped miles from where I needed to be. The journey is 10 minutes max by car.
There was also the added discomfort of an old man getting on who smelled strongly of wee. So much so I could smell it at the back of the bus.
the bus driver was obviously a regular and waited for all the old folk and seemed to know their names. Which was very sweet. But made us all really late. I guess for some people it’s just not as practical/comfortable as a car.

Perhaps there’s some wealth signifier (snort) in taking the more expensive and less convenient option (driving in this case)?

I don’t get it. We’re not wealthy but we’re also not struggling. She has a £500 a month car that is basically a lawn decoration as she uses it for the school run and not much else, so we are worlds apart on what is worth spending money on. When I had a car it was a second hand hatchback that I bought outright for a few grand and she was horrified that I thought that was ‘acceptable’.

I’ve spent most of my adult life trying to be acceptable to them/her and I’ve just about given up now.

In my area, it is mainly those of us lower on the socioeconomic scale ŵho use the bus, or more elderly people.
I imagine there is snobbery in some quarters around public transport, but most people I know drive, as we have an increasingly unreliable bus service.

DM is a bus snob and would rather pay ££ for a taxi than get a bus pass and use the frequent bus service with stops within 5 doors of her house either side.

I'm happy to use public transport where it's practical. Annoyingly it's not often more practical. It's mainly for visiting larger cities. Paying for children really sends the cost soaring compared to the car, and adult fares to town cost more than parking anyway. If I have time and limited things to carry, I park a mile away and walk in.

Buses are massively different in different areas though. You live right by a bus stop and it goes to your workplace so it must be very convenient. I personally would exhaust all other options before travelling on a bus as the buses here are infrequent and don't go where I want to go. It would take me a minimum of 6x as long to do my daily journey than it would by car so I'd be pretty pissed off at the end of that. And as well, if I had a buggy, I wouldn't even consider it. The number of times you read on here about buggy wars on buses.

Ignore her!! Once I don’t have to do school run and work commute, I’m half tempted to jack in having a car and stick to cycling/public transport to get to work!