View Full Version : How expensive would petrol have to be...
Ceri JC
22-08-06, 02:34 PM
How expensive would petrol have to be before you stopped using the car/bike to get to work? It seems that in spite of the spikes and dips, petrol is still, on average, getting more expensive at a much quicker rate than inflation. So, I'm curious, at what point would you give up using the bike recreationally? At what point would you start commuting on public transport (or if none is available, take a job closer to home/that was on a public transport route)?
This is all assuming public transport costs stayed the same, but availability/routes of trains/buses remained the same and that the government wouldn't further axe duty to keep prices stable.
Me:
Luckily I'm home based so my employer pays for my petrol to get to work. However, I think if it was £5 a litre, I'd be out of a job as we'd not be making enough cash to cover travel costs unless we dramatically upped our prices.
If it was £40 a tank I think I'd end up keeping the bike as a toy for Sundays, but any more than that and I couldn't justify it.
Probably £10 a litre would still be worth going to work.
When it costs more or equal to a weekly train/bus ticket! So about £2 a litre. Would SORN the car at the level as well.
I could never give up riding bikes, but if I wasn't getting change from £30 a tank it would hurt (still cheaper than public transport)
I guess I could always cycle it's only 12 miles through town to work.....
I would seriously consider moving closer to work (18 miles at the moment) and then maybe push bike in, and use the £40 I saved (current commuting cost) to use for recreational bike use :)
I have noticed that I can fit £17 of fuel in the Zed - bet it wont be long before I can squeeze £20 in there.. :roll:
Warthog
22-08-06, 03:01 PM
Did anyone see that Dispatches episode yesterday then? I assume that's what sparked this off. It was very interesting.
Personally, I can realistically afford around £6/ltr for commuting. Recreational is a different matter. If it ever gets that bad though, I'm emmigrating!
How expensive would petrol have to be before you stole someone else's? :lol:
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How expensive would petrol have to be before you stole someone else's? :lol:
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http://www.tragsnart.co.uk/filmhub/100best/madmax2.jpg
kwak zzr
22-08-06, 03:54 PM
this was in our local newspaper, it said it would need to be £3.00 per litre before it actully stopped ppl from buying it, i'm ****ed with it now at 96.9 :(
only 92.something p here :)
but if it was really high i'd walk......yes i'm a lazy cow :roll: :wink:
Red ones
22-08-06, 05:55 PM
Considering the 28 mile commute costs about £30 by public transport and would take about 4 times longer than the bike - quite a lot.
Considering that the work I do is often poorly paid for the business interruption costs if I don't do it the option to work closer to home are few.
Considering the ridiculous cost of housing south of here, moving ain't an option
Am I buggered?
Yes
Biker Biggles
22-08-06, 06:52 PM
Considering we pay about 40% of our income in tax/deductions and about 60%(I think)of the price of petrol is tax it can be a surprise for many people how they can be just as well off taking a lower paid job where they live and walking or cycling to work.If you can do without a motor vehicle entirely you save the cost of buying it and road tax and insurance/serviceing as well.
Personally I find the thought of life without a bike outweighs all that though.
Maybe trackdays only is the way forward.
Whats miffed me is the fact that I moved jobs and have saved money by getting a job closer, but the way things are going it going to cost me the same again.
suicidesam
22-08-06, 10:19 PM
Last few weeks the fuel cost in my local area (A few miles from BP/Innovene Grangemouth Refinery!) has been at 99.9p for both unleaded and diesel.. first time i have seen that. Not sure why the derv price never went over the £1 mark, normally 3p/litre more.
When the price jumped up i started to use the bike to travel to work all the time, then change to car and go pick up the kids, instead of take car to work and pick up kids on the way home.
If the price does go up over the £1/litre mark for good, I'll be getting another car thats cheaper to run than the V6 i have just now.. prob buy a small derv to keep the cost down :x
northwind
22-08-06, 11:48 PM
I'm close enough to home that I could cycle if the prices went that high... Probably would, on good days, if it went above a couple of quid per litre. But fuel costs just don't figure into my maths at all, it just all goes into the box marked "consumables" along with crisps and extra strong mints. Considering tha I spend more on petrol every year than anything else, just about, that's maybe a bit daft but it stops me getting depressed about it ;)
timwilky
23-08-06, 06:23 AM
I live near Preston, but work in Knutsford in Cheshire a distance of about 40 miles, 38 miles of which is on the M6 and normally takes me about 30 minutes door to door . To get there by public transport would mean :-
http://www.twsoft.co.uk/images/train.png
So it takes 6 hours, but I would have to catch the last bus to Chorley to be there on time which passes by where I live at 11:15 PM. Once I get to Knutsford I would then have about a 1.5 mile walk to the office. which would take about 10 minutes. so door to door 11:15 to 7:30 or 8 hours 15 minutes to do 40 miles.
So is public transport a feasable option?.
Move closer you say!. Well my wife works at Chorley Hospital and starts her shift at 7.00 so her problem would be even worse.
So I guess fuel would still have to go up one hell of a lot to justify the alternative of buying a second house in the knutsford area.
The above issue was really brought about by my employers moving their offices from Manchester to Knutsford. I would have had no problem getting to Manchester in a morning.
Now my company car does about 36 MPG I only get business milage refunded so using the bike and adding miles wear and tear etc is not really an option, unless the sun is shinning and I feel like playing out before/after work etc.
BTW the price of the return ticket is £12 plus a further £2.60 for the bus fare home - Chorley
DoubleD
23-08-06, 07:43 AM
Petrol can never cost too much for the SV.... to much fun to not put petrol in!
PsychoCannon
23-08-06, 08:56 AM
The SV is so good with petrol mileage it would have to be pretty horrible before I got put off.
It's £1.09/l unldeaded at my local and more for the "good stuff" (because I'm right next to the M1 junction where petrol magically jumps in price)
£10/12 and I'm good for most of the week on a full tank.
To commute it I've got to get a bus (£1.50), Train (£6 return) and another bus (£2.50 for the only shuttle bus that gets you to the business park in the middle of nowhere)
Thats almost a weeks fuel for a days inconvienent commute...I don't think so :)
only 92.something p here :)
but if it was really high i'd walk......yes i'm a lazy cow :roll: :wink:You Lazy...!!! You live above the shop ;)
Im lucky i suppose. It would only cost me £34 a week for a travel card and it only takes 20mins more by train.bus that bike. Working that out, i would change my cost to £3 Per L
chazzyb
23-08-06, 09:02 AM
I would seriously consider moving closer to work (18 miles at the moment) and then maybe push bike in, and use the £40 I saved (current commuting cost) to use for recreational bike use :)
I have noticed that I can fit £17 of fuel in the Zed - bet it wont be long before I can squeeze £20 in there.. :roll:
I can get 19 litres into one of my older bikes when it's just onto reserve. Ouch!
Amanda M
23-08-06, 09:20 AM
It costs me a tenner a week for the bike and it takes 25mins each way. If I use the train it's a 20min walk to the station, 20mins on the train then another 20mins walk to work. It costs £4 a day on the train, so oddly enough I use the bike most of the time. It would probably take about 90mins-2hours to get there by bus so no chance :roll: Petrol would have to cost a hell of a lot more for me to use public transport all the time.
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