All these people saying that taking the car only cost me £x in petrol, neglect to mention the cost of buying the car, insurance, tax, MOT, servicing and even learning to drive in the first place. Sure you may already have the car for some other use and you might as well use it if you've got it - but all these still have to be paid for.
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£2.20 - is that a lot of money for a bus journey?
- Thread starter Stewart
- Start date
HawkTheSeagull
New member
This, if they paid half fare it would more than cover increased running costs.
It isn't cheap, but it isn't expensive. Little bit cheaper in the East - but the service is a LOT worse. With The Key, I'm fairly sure that PAYG will eventually be put on it - so singles would be cheaper like Oyster.
Colossal Squid
Returning video tapes
Colossal Squid
Returning video tapes
I drive to Haywards Heath every day and recently calculated that with the cost of running my car, including tax and insurance and the petrol I use each day, it comes in at near enough EXACTLY the same cost as catching a train. With the advantage that I don't need to walk for forty minutes each end OR fight for a seat.
Honestly didn't expect it, but the maths all adds up. Although I've not included the capital cost of buying the car in the first place
No, wrong. I already have the car so its purchase price, the tax, MOT, insurance and even my driving lessons are still the same whether I use the car or not. In other words they are all fixed costs and would be exactly the same if I did 10 miles or 100,000 miles a year. Apart from the petrol the only marginal costs are the wear and tear on the car and any extra depreciation caused by me adding an additional four miles - and even that won't apply if I've no intention of trading the car in.
If I learnt to drive and bought a car specifically so as not to have to use a bus then your argument would be valid.
clippedgull
Hotdogs, extra onions
Yep! 01273 886200 Option 1
I think mine's now £65 a month. I use it at least 5 days a week, for work, which comes out at about £3.25 a day. Whilst I wouldn't call that particularly cheap, I don't think it's outrageous either.
Of course for people buying day to day I agree it's exceptionally expensive. I also agree with the complaints about no pay as you go system, and I'm hoping this might change once it becomes integrated with the train smartcard system. They look like they're introducing the Plusbus system on the rail smartcards soon (it says 'Autumn 2012'), and pay as you go (for the trains at least) by Spring. Hopefully, with these systems seemingly becoming closer integrated, we'll see that pay as you go spill over to the buses. At the very least I'd buy a season that combines buses and trains, which I'm hoping will be available soon with Plusbus.
Of course for people buying day to day I agree it's exceptionally expensive. I also agree with the complaints about no pay as you go system, and I'm hoping this might change once it becomes integrated with the train smartcard system. They look like they're introducing the Plusbus system on the rail smartcards soon (it says 'Autumn 2012'), and pay as you go (for the trains at least) by Spring. Hopefully, with these systems seemingly becoming closer integrated, we'll see that pay as you go spill over to the buses. At the very least I'd buy a season that combines buses and trains, which I'm hoping will be available soon with Plusbus.
Indeed, which I think will be the case for most people. Therefore for most it IS only the marginal costs of the trip that has to be taken into account, the fixed costs are irrelevant.
Poyetry In Motion
Pooetry Motions
This.
Barrel of Fun
Abort, retry, fail
Are Brighton and Hove residents propping up the other interests of First Group?
"any man who finds himself on a bus at the age of 26 can account himself a failure" - Thatcher
I'd say to be able to afford Brighton and Hove Buses you need to be a success. I have to slum it in a taxi these days.
I'd say to be able to afford Brighton and Hove Buses you need to be a success. I have to slum it in a taxi these days.
Thank god I'm only 25.
RexCathedra
Aurea Mediocritas
Subsidies go down. Fares go up. No public transport system in the world that isn't a real-estate firm with the odd train attached (i.e. Japan's big cities, HK) survives without subsidies.
The present climate isn't exactly subsidy-friendly, is it?
The present climate isn't exactly subsidy-friendly, is it?
Garage_Doors
Originally the Swankers
I have to have one for work, so it a fixed cost weather i use the bus or not, so it is just the cost of the fuel.
HawkTheSeagull
New member
You mean Go-Ahead Group of course. And probably not, fare rises cover the running costs which the government/councils dont cover - apparently.
Barrel of Fun
Abort, retry, fail
Whoops. Yes I do!
I fail to see how running costs are rising so much that they have to ram up prices. I guess they have invested in a lot of new buses. I'd be quite happy to travel in a tatty, but green bus.
El Sid
Well-known member
Edinburgh has a fantastic bus service.
£1.40 for a single journey - 3.50 for an all day ticket.
£1.40 for a single journey - 3.50 for an all day ticket.
How can you possibly know that they're the best in the country? And what criteria are you using?