I now commute by train - 50% of the time!

Originally Posted by Steve_God

Although it might mean that including wear and tear on the car/bike, it works out more expensive, I'd already be paying to own the car/bike anyway, so with the cost of the train being more expensive than my cost of petrol, it really isn't even worthwhile financially unless I got rid of both - which I'm just not going to do anytime soon...

Not to mention the potential catching of the many bugs from the infected people about you, the foul body odour from certain individuals who for some reason you always manage to end up sitting near. Buses/trains missing, buses/trains not on time, fare prices going up all the sodding time (It now costs me £1.50 for what would be a half hour walk, extortionate, used to be 90p!).

The only good thing about public transport is occasionally you will get chatting to nice people who end up sitting next to, or you're forced to talk to them due to incessant grumblings about the unreliability of public transport and the freezing weather

I've met a couple of good mates through the buses, so all is not a total loss

Buses are fantastic, provided you're going from the suburbs into the city centre. If you're going from one suburb to another they're a disaster. But at least they never strand you by stopping for hours in the middle of nowhere.

Overall I'd say, get a bike.

[timwilky]

My 40 mile trip when I was based at my knutsford office took 40mins straight down the M6.

Otherwise by public transport it is 20 minute bus into chorley, 1:30 hours train chorley to knutsford followed by a 2 mile walk (no bus on the route), so compare 2hours+ against 40min, bike/car wins every time.

[Gazza77]

Originally Posted by Steve_God

Trains are perfect for if you are travelling to and from major cities, and if it's long distance.

For local travelling, it's rubbish!
I live on one side of Manchester and commute to the other side of Manchester - not that hard a task in theory when there are train stations within 5 minutes walk of my home and my work, however it means getting a slow local train from home to near Manchester, and transferring to another slow local train from near Manchester to work, and takes roughly an hour and a half!!!

I can do the same trip, during peak rush hour!, in 40/60 minutes in my car, baring in mind it's a 25 mile journey... and also do it in 30 minutes when I go in on the bike!

Although it might mean that including wear and tear on the car/bike, it works out more expensive, I'd already be paying to own the car/bike anyway, so with the cost of the train being more expensive than my cost of petrol, it really isn't even worthwhile financially unless I got rid of both - which I'm just not going to do anytime soon...

Everyone has different circumstances.

I'd not use the bike year round to get to work, it's far too icy round here on steep, untreated roads. Using the car takes around 1hr 30, train & bus 1hr 45. Car would cost £28 a month to park, approx £45 a week in petrol, approx £250 extra a year to insure, so approx £2800 before wear and tear on an extra 15k miles. I'd imagine if I did use the bike it would cost a fair bit more too.

Travel card costs £965 per year and means when I can't be bothered walking anywhere or if I want to go down into town for a few beers or a night out with work, transport doesn't cost owt as I can use any bus or train anywhere in West Yorkshire at any time. Also means I don't arrived at work stressed because of traffic and I can read or sleep as I desire on the train.

No brainer really.

Originally Posted by Gazza77

Travel card costs £965 per year.

I'd rather get another inexpensive bike lol. Saying that you do live in Hebden which is an expensive area as it is so for you this sounds a good option

[Gazza77]

Originally Posted by missyorkie_chris

I'd rather get another inexpensive bike lol. Saying that you do live in Hebden which is an expensive area as it is so for you this sounds a good option

I live up on the hillside outside Hebden (Old Town to be precise) so it saves a fortune on the £1.70 bus fares up and down the hill. Also helps when going out for meals/to pub, as my gf doesn't drive so we can't take it in turns to have a drink. From there to St James' Hospital in Leeds isn't the greatest road journey either, so I don't feel I'm missing out on a great ride or anything.

Originally Posted by Grinch

If I could get a session ticket that let me travel only the time I need then that would help. As I don't go to Nodnol every day of the week or travel all days of the week I'd have to pay a whole month and waste some of it. Its no good just using a train as I would be a hour late for my Monday morning early shift.

so what you want is a national oyster card type of thing?

Cheap?
We just bought a couple of train tickets into London for the bike show at the end of Jan and I am shocked at how expensive it is. We avoided peak times, but it is still £80 for two of us.

Public transport is a nice idea, but gash in concept in the UK. Annoying really, as given how small/populous the country is, it should be an ideal location for it and I'm not one of these people who is inherently opposed to the idea (although even if there were a viable system, I don't think those who choose to drive/ride should be penalised). I've tried using public transport in various bits of the country and have come to the conclusion that it simply cannot be relied upon. Even the tube in London, which is probably the most reliable/viable, is unpleasent to use and communication about faults/alternative routes when there are problems is almost non-existent.

Trains in general are horrendously overpriced (look at the price rises vs inflation for the past few decades, particularly when you also consider economies of scale) and are nowhere near as "green" as their supporters would have you believe when you factor in their "total cost" (staffing, stations, tracks, maintenance of the lines, people's travel to and from the stations, etc.). They also regularly do things that simply shouldn't legally be permitted without a total refund for the journey, like choosing to miss stops because they're running late or changing the carriages, leaving you with no right to a seat when you booked early/paid extra to have one. Of the dozen of so places I've lived/worked, I have never found any public transport service that is cheaper than going by car/bike* nor gets me there quicker or more reliably than going by bike.

Motorcycling brings its own problems, but they're mainly problems I'm responsible for and can fix myself, rather than some anonymous person I'll never meet, who give the impression they don't give a flying ***k as to whether or not I get to my destination on time.

*If I only find out I need to go somewhere that day and can't benefit from the price reductions of pre-booking/a season ticket of some kind.

EDIT: Incidentally, somewhere on the forum are the sums I did of cost and time of travel by public transport in my last job and IIRC, it worked out taking about 2.5 times as long and costing about 3 times as much as going by car, even factoring in buying a "new" second hand car every couple of years.

[jamesterror]

Being a student does have it pro's, 1/3 off rail fairs.

I don't travel a lot on the train, but when I do its usually a fair distance.

A few friends went to Wales to see one of our old mates, I had work but couldn't go, it was £42 and took 7 hours, or 4 hours driving.

Its a gamble using the train because you need to expect delays, I think the only long distance travel I had without delay was coming from back Bristol Temple Meads, straight in to New Street, 2 minutes later on the train back to Nuneaton.