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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that the price of public transport is just obscene?

45 replies

TAFKAtheUrbanDryad · 24/08/2009 12:50

I've been checking out the bus prices in my local area as my car will have to go into the garage soon to have some work done and I will be without it for a couple of days. To get from where I live to the next town (where Tesco is) will be the best part of £5.00! It's a 20 minute car drive, surely it doesn't cost that much in fuel?

Am I alone in thinking that this isn't the way to encourage people to use their cars less? Why would anyone pay more to use the bus, endure people playing their music on their phones (a pet hate of mine) the rudeness of the drivers, and more inconvenience? Yes, I know it's better for the environment, and perhaps I should want to use the bus for that reason alone, but AIBU to think it should be better value for money?

OP posts:
StayFrostysOtherSister · 24/08/2009 12:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SecretSlattern · 24/08/2009 12:56

YANBU, its shit and the service is pretty dire all the time.

paisleyleaf · 24/08/2009 12:59

YANBU
I can't believe the price of a travel card in London now.

Sorting out regular, reasonably priced public transport would be the best way for us to lower our carbon footprints

IlanaK · 24/08/2009 12:59

That sounds a shocking amount. All bus fares in London are £1 and kids are free. And tubes are £1.50 for zone 1, kids free. Why does it cost more out of London?

Original poster
TAFKAtheUrbanDryad · 24/08/2009 13:02

Isn't TFL subsidised by the Govt?

OP posts:
dinkystinky · 24/08/2009 13:07

You're not being unreasonable. My MiL lives in Brighton - we live in London and use public transport all the time - went to Brighton and went to use the bus and was appalled at how much a 15 minute return bus ride to the centre cost (more than an all day travelcard in London)!

IlanaK · 24/08/2009 13:07

I don't know, but if it is, then that should be the case everywhere.

We are going down to Devon for a holiday and taking the train. There are no local buses to get us to our holiday site, but there is a taxi company subsidised by the council. All fares are £2.50 a person.

So really, there is no excuse for it to be so high - it should be subsidised.

Original poster
TAFKAtheUrbanDryad · 24/08/2009 13:09

Don't even get me started on the train!

Was checking out the fares for a friend to come up and visit from Cambs. It's maybe a 2 hour drive? Cost £43.75, single! And takes the best part of 4 hours as you have to go through London!

I am as green as they come (oh, apart from my tumble dryer and car ) and I would love to use my car less. But it's not economically viable for me to do so.

OP posts:
kando · 24/08/2009 13:10

It's shocking, isn't it?! To get to our nearest town by bus (which takes less than 10 mins in the car) it costs £3.75 one way!! Agree with you Dryad, it's not the way to get people to use their car less. Roll on when 34 years when I get my buspass Mind you, by then there probably won't be such a thing ...

roulade · 24/08/2009 13:16

Bus fares in London are only £1 each if you have an oyster card, if you want to pay cash it will cost you £2.

chim000 · 24/08/2009 13:16

YANBU. It's a bloody disgrace!

I was without my car for a week a while back and spent on public transport in 2 days what running my car would cost in a week (that's everything factored in, isurance, maintenance etc.)

Plus the amount of time to travel is ridiculous. A 10-15 minute journey in the car was taking well over an hour on a bus, with so many changes & walking between bus stops etc.

Original poster
TAFKAtheUrbanDryad · 24/08/2009 13:17

I'm probably going to get flamed for this, but why do OAP's get free bus passes? I think it's great that they do - it certainly makes a big difference to my parents who don't drive - but if OAP's get them, then why not families on benefits, who also (often) can't afford to run a car?

We don't even live that far out of London - we have a Tube station (although it is right on the end of Met line) so I don't see why it's so fricking expensive!

OP posts:
Original poster
TAFKAtheUrbanDryad · 24/08/2009 13:19

Oh, and add to the fact that the buses round here aren't buggy friendly ones, so I'd have to have dd in the sling and ds (2 and a half) walking, and you have a recipe for complete disaster!

I may make dh use the Tube to get to work and nick his car!

OP posts:
Debs75 · 24/08/2009 13:26

Train for 5 to the seaside works out at nearly 50 return.
Bus to the seaside 25 return
Petrol in car to the seaside 8
Parking 4

Why bother reducing my carbon footprint when it is going to cost me at least double.

A lot of the buses in our town are buggy friendly but they prefer you to be able to fold them in case a wheelchair user gets on.

Mu mum now gets a free bus pass so she can come and see us more often, and babysit. When I had DC3 she came every morning to help me get the other DC's ready for school. If she hadn't of had her pass she would of had to stay over for the week on our not very comfy settee. For a weeks travel she would of spent over £20

gingernutlover · 24/08/2009 13:29

we are lucky that we live within a 100 yards of a bus stop which does a circuit of our town every 12 minutes. Thats the good bit.

The bad bit is that it costs £4 for a retruin trip into town from our house. It's a journey of less than 2 miles and takes about 6 minutes. I think it's very expensive and would rather pay for a carpark in town at 80p an hour

onthepier · 24/08/2009 15:00

YANBU, public transport is not cheap! We don't run a family car, and use public transport and taxis a lot. Convenient as they are, people are always saying we must save so much money not having a car but I'm not sure we do really! I don't like to think of the amount we've spent this school holidays alone, just on transport!

LaurieFairyCake · 24/08/2009 15:06

On the same note about OAP's - I've always thought it really unfair that the state pension is more than is deemed enough for a single person to live on with income support or jsa. Surely JSA and income support should also be as much as a pension?

Original poster
TAFKAtheUrbanDryad · 24/08/2009 15:09

Isn't anyone going to disagree with me? That's not really in the spirit of AIBU is it?

OP posts:
SomeGuy · 24/08/2009 15:12

The state pension is supposed to support an 'until you die' lifestyle. JSA and income support is supposed to be 'get a job quick'.

Original poster
TAFKAtheUrbanDryad · 24/08/2009 15:14

Income support is also used alongside DLA, isn't it? So how does that work?

OP posts:
LaurieFairyCake · 24/08/2009 15:15

LOl at someguy , neatly summed up.

while I'm sure that's true it's still shit if you're single and living in a bedsit - you can't afford heating on £45 a week but I'm sure it's possible on £120.

I think JSA and income support should be about providing enough to sustain life on.

TheDMshouldbeRivened · 24/08/2009 15:17

yanbu but if they were subsidised (which I think they would be) the car only majority would all be whinging about their taxes. Again.

DLA is for the extras your disabilty costs, and believe me, impairments lead to far greater costs.

First Bus (motto: First the Worst) have just put up bus fares AGAIN in this city.

PeedOffWithNits · 24/08/2009 15:19

some people CHOOSE to use the bus all the time, or have NO choice BUT to use it therefore they can purchase season ticket/monthly pass etc, making it cheaper

it is not just about your petrol money, but tax, insurance, purchase of car itself and maintenance. some people chose bus even IF more expensive and less convenient than running a car just because it is greener. fact.

it is the same as anything else. If DEMAND went up then the prices could go down, because they are not running the buses round half empty. the traffic would flow quicker because of the fewer cars on the road. there would be more incentive for councils to have bus lanes etc

and as for rude bus drivers, there are rude people in every walk of life, and many passengers are downright ignorant too!

Original poster
TAFKAtheUrbanDryad · 24/08/2009 15:22

Hmm, that's true Peed....chicken/egg though, isn't it? And of course it means inconveniencing oneself for the amount of time that it would take to make things better - of course with no actual guarantee that things would get better!

Riven - First have lost a lot of contracts in my parents' town. They are utterly appalling, I'm surprised they're still going. Well, I'm not, but I wish I was.

OP posts:
SomeGuy · 24/08/2009 15:22

well if it was, then people wouldn't get a job would they?

JSA is very meagre, but there is income support, which can provide enough to live on, because there are many levels of it - you get more if you have kids, more if they are disabled, etc. Although I think Child Tax Credit has effectively replaced it - it's only used for assessing Housing/Council Tax Benefit levels.

This is of course why people say 'she's getting knocked up so she can get a council flat and benefits', because the gap between what you can get as a single person (£50/week) and a single mother (about £200/week is vast.

Sickness benefit was I think made higher than unemployment benefit in the 1970s. The result was much lower unemployment figures, but large numbers of people on 'disability' instead, because you don't need to go and jump through hoops at the jobcentre each week, and because the level of benefits is so much higher. Unemployment is probably now at its highest level ever, though employment is not, because far more women are in the job market now that weren't in the 1950s.

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