Has covid changed the way you use public transport?

[NotSure1542]

I used to commute 5 days a week via train and now I can wfh all the time - I don’t use the train/bus like I used to. I was so scared to drive anywhere but I’m so much more confident driving now as a result of covid! Anyone else the same?

Erm, a bit but the opposite to you really. I drove to work everyday. Now I WFH. We actually got rid of our second car this year as we couldn’t justify running two anymore with WFH/Hybrid working. So I actually use the bus/train more than I used too when my OH has the car & I need to go somewhere.

I love driving. Always have! Driving confidence is all about practice. The more you do it, the more confident you become!

I've only used a bus once since March 2020. I used to take the bus to the local shopping centres/retail parks on a weekly basis before (I don't have a car) but no longer do this as the buses here are packed at the best of times, the air feels really stuffy on them, and no one wears a mask now.

I still use the train and tube once or twice a week because there's no other way to get to some places I need to get to... I was wfh even before the pandemic so it's not work related travel for the most part.

I've never used it much because 'other people', but I used it more last year when there were fewer people on it. I liked having carriages to myself.

I had always been fairly regular user of bus/train for work commute, as well as driving a lot locally and to visit family (2.5 hours away).

I have given up my annual travel ticket, and still have most of the €40 I topped up my Leap card with (equivalent to Oyster) in February 2020 - the annual ticket was for trains and the top up worked on buses/tram. I think I have used 2 trains (to get my 2nd jab and return), and 1 local bus journey since this all started.

The few days I go into work now, I have been able to get car parking. And when it all started and I was in a building with no car parking, I was able to claim back the costs as I have asthma so it wasn't a good idea to use public transport at that point before jabs. But still WFH 3 or 4 days/week at least, and looks like it will be fully WFH for another while given numbers rising here again.

I only got my car when DD was born (DH and I shared before that), we dropped back to 1 car when he was working away 50% for 4 years, went back up to 2 cars when DFIL was terminally ill a few years later and we needed to both spend a lot of time going down to them but DD and I still needed to be here a lot for school/work.

And DD is also very well used to public transport having commuted in by bicycle and home by bus for 3 years in creche, and done plenty of other trips by PT with us, to the point she had her own Leap card before leaving primary, would hop on the train to get from school to local town for hot chocolate with friends after school, and taught half her secondary class how to get the bus to the local large mall from school on the last day of term before Christmas (private school where mostly SAHMammies drove their darlings everywhere - they loved the excitement! and independence of the bus and being together).

I don’t drive, and continue to use buses and trains in the same way as I always have. The only difference is that the buses are now more unreliable and inconvenient, so I have to allow extra time for some journeys.

No, still use it as before Covid - I'm in London and public transport is very good.

I always wear a mask and carry hand gel.