Would you go on a day/weekend trip at the moment using public transport?

[tussellous]

I'm getting pressure to go and visit a family member who lives about 2.5 hours away by train. I live in London and don't drive. I really don't want to, it doesn't feel like an essential trip. Would you go??

Yes I would. I've no intention of going on any weekend (or weekday) day trips at the moment but if I did want to go somewhere, and I couldn't drive, I'd use the train.

In the early days of lockdown train and bus services were very reduced and understandably the authorities wanted space to be left for key workers. Lockdown has now been eased to a significant extent so if you need to use a train/bus/tram/river boat, use it. Just avoid the busiest times.

I would assuming it's a mainline train not a commuter route.

Nope. Don't judge those that do but we are still only making essential journeys thereby reducing the risk to everyone else.

No

I thought “essential journeys only” had been dropped from the guidance. I just had a look on gov.uk and can’t see it. There’s only one related sentence “Stay at home as much as possible”.

It would be madness to still have “essential travel only” as a law / rule / guidance, while simultaneously opening primark/ikea etc and encouraging people to go non-essential shopping. What are you supposed to do, parachute in to Regent Street?

We’re having a day out in London in early July. Tbh the only thing stopping me at the moment is the uncertainty/lack of toilets.

I would try and leave public transport for workers who need it and have no other way of getting to work. Even workers have been asked to try and avoid it and use cars and cycles of they can.
Use it sparingly outside of the rush hour, if you must, and that probably means not using it to have a whole day trip at present.

Personally, I wouldn't want to do it. Is the family member concerned able to travel to you instead, ie let them accept the risk/uncertainty you'd be feeling?

like many things at the moment, there is a contradiction - if you have bubbles, open shops, garden centres zoos etc etc are open then people will be out travelling.
You are asked to use cars and cycle if you can. I do not have a car . Therefore I will use the train.
I've been working from home for nearly 4 months and will probably be so until Christmas. When I return I will be on foot as usual.
I have been travelling on this train route for 30 years, I think I've worked out the busy times. If they don't want us to travel at all then they should not be selling tickets.

I don’t think they’re policing it now as for the most part, the majority of passengers aren’t travelling and are following their guidance of no leisure travel so there’s no real need. Major stations haven’t reached anywhere near their normal volume. Operators thought they’d have an onslaught of passengers this week when shops opened but that hasn’t been the case, there were more people travelling to protests etc the week before.

If they reach a situation where passenger numbers increase whilst lockdown hasn’t eased, then they’ll look into policing the reasons why people are onboard

I wouldn't unless I really wanted to see them or felt they were vulnerable in some way .

No. I've got a car, why would I want to go by public transport. Even if I didn't I wouldn't travel with other people in an epidemic

The trains are quite empty but I travel for fairly essential reasons due to my personal circumstances. Not sure I would for leisure as I hate my face being covered

@Waxonwaxoff0

My exh is a train driver. He says the trains are still fairly quiet but they aren't policing travel, no one is being stopped and asked where they are going.

It's not illegal to travel by public transport for any reason, train workers would have no business "policing" travellers anyway