local bus company

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Wed 25 Apr 2007 20:46
local bus company - bell boy
My local bus company charged me £1.50 to travel a mile on sunday.
Are they taking me for a ride?
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Wed 25 Apr 2007 20:51
local bus company - rtj70
They did take you for a ride though didn't they ;-)

If I go on the train from local station to central Manchester it's £1.75 return at the weekend and evenings. Often "free" because there is nobody to pay - conductor has other jobs too and no time to get to you between stops. I'd pay but often have not had the chance. Don't use the train often (2 times in last 12 months maybe). Driving it's probably a 13-14 mile roundtrip using the route I take.

On Sunday train left 2 minutes early.... so I drove after missing the early departing train.
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Wed 25 Apr 2007 21:00
local bus company - a900ss
£1.50 or walk it....

I'd pay.

Seriously, public transport, is NOT cheap in the UK and is not a viable alternative to a car unless you live in London.
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Thu 26 Apr 2007 07:29
local bus company - hbosken
In Edinburgh, the local bus company (Lothian Bus) charges a flat rate of £1 which could be for one stop, or 15 miles! Definitely the cheapest I'ev ever come across - and most of their fleet is under 8 years old too - so nice, air-cond, clean buses.

Still prefer the car though!
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Thu 26 Apr 2007 07:45
local bus company - Steptoe
I would guess this is the minimum fare, some one has worked out the base cost of providing a bus, driver, & ticket machine and divided it by the likely number of passengers. It will probably be the same price for the whole fare stage which might be a couple more miles.

The solution; move to Thailand where bus fares start from around 5p (and you get a conductor) or wait until you're 60 ;-)


----------------------------------------------

One mans junk is another mans treasure
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Thu 26 Apr 2007 09:58
local bus company - MichaelR
I've been using the bus a bit this week instead of the car, and I won't be repeating it for a while mostly due to the ridiculous cost.

My first journey of 20 miles cost me £5.00 return - a return train ticket to the same place was £4.60 and the train takes half the time and is smoother, nicer and quieter.

I then took a journey of a mile - £2.50 return.

It really does make you wonder how people will ever move to public transport if you can pay for the fuel in a 3 litre BMW for less than the cost of the equivilent bus ticket.
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Thu 26 Apr 2007 10:41
local bus company - rtj70
Living in Greater Manchester, bus travel seems better value to wha you've paid.

Stagecoach do a day rider for £3 which allows you to travel on any of it's buses all day. Or a "Mega rider" which gives 7 days travel for £9.50 or you can opt to buy a "System 1" ticket for £15 (£11 for students upto 26) that lets you travel on any bus, tram or local train for 7 days.
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Thu 26 Apr 2007 10:51
local bus company - bathtub tom
Buy a bus ticket to travel a mile?
We've a tolerably good bus service here, every ten minutes, but by the time I walk to the bus-stop, and waited for a bus (say five minutes) I could, and would, walk it.
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Thu 26 Apr 2007 11:52
local bus company - Welliesorter
I live a little less than a mile and a half from the city centre. In the past couple of years the single bus fare has increased from 70p to £1.20. I think this is because the number of fare stages has been reduced. A day's parking in the city centre varies from £4 to around £10. Half an hour in a pay-and-display street parking space costs 90p.

I tend to walk because I need the exercise.

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