Cycling UK Forum

We were out at a do in Launceston yesterday evening, and we got there by bus.
(taxi home)

I have a bus pass, but Mrs Mick F doesn't yet.
Gunnislake Square to Callington New Road cost her £2.20. Going in and out of the villages and hamlets, the journey was just short of 11miles.
Callington New Road to Launceston Westgate Street cost £5.00. Again, in and out, it was a journey of just short of 13miles.
Perhaps an hour in total in travelling time, but maybe an hour and a half start to finish.

That was £7.20 total, and if I'd not had a bus pass, it would have been double = £14.40
It only cost £20 to come home by taxi, and that was a fast half hour door-to-door service.

I was shocked at the cost of bus journeys.
No wonder there are so many cars on the roads.

Mick F wrote:
There are so many cars on the roads
I was shocked at the cost of bus journeys.

FTFY

Mick F wrote:We were out at a do in Launceston yesterday evening, and we got there by bus.
(taxi home)

I have a bus pass, but Mrs Mick F doesn't yet.
Gunnislake Square to Callington New Road cost her £2.20. Going in and out of the villages and hamlets, the journey was just short of 11miles.
Callington New Road to Launceston Westgate Street cost £5.00. Again, in and out, it was a journey of just short of 13miles.
Perhaps an hour in total in travelling time, but maybe an hour and a half start to finish.

That was £7.20 total, and if I'd not had a bus pass, it would have been double = £14.40
It only cost £20 to come home by taxi, and that was a fast half hour door-to-door service.

I was shocked at the cost of bus journeys.
No wonder there are so many cars on the roads.

well were there many passengers? if no then matter of economics? When i was in suffolk around Aldeborough villages you had to phone up and arrange for a bus no regular service. Buses use a lot of diesel?

Why should it cost over seven quid to sit on a bus for an hour's journey?
Yes, I understand the overheads and the wages etc but it should be subsidised.
Maybe the bus pass should be abolished, and that way the costs will come down?
As far as I'm aware, the bus companies can claim the bus pass fares back, but I think it's only 50% of the fare.

By the time we got to Callington, we were the only ones on, and by the time we made it to Launceston, there were three of us .......... and that was a double-decker.

Mrs Thatcher deregulated Public Transport. What more do you need to know?
It's now a business rather than a public service, though of course the taxpayer is till paying. Some people are obviously doing well out of it, just not the passengers. I expect in Plymouth or any other city, they're making a decent return, in a public service that surplus would go to subsidising the less popular routes rather than the shareholders.

Mick F wrote:Why should it cost over seven quid to sit on a bus for an hour's journey?
Yes, I understand the overheads and the wages etc but it should be subsidised.
Maybe the bus pass should be abolished, and that way the costs will come down?
As far as I'm aware, the bus companies can claim the bus pass fares back, but I think it's only 50% of the fare.

By the time we got to Callington, we were the only ones on, and by the time we made it to Launceston, there were three of us .......... and that was a double-decker.

sounds to me like an under used service that aint economical. maybe not subsidised by the council. When I was down in Brighton only a few of the routes were a partnership with the council, the others had to pay for themselves, and thats a rich council. I think regular bus sevices are on the way out in the sticks and going the way of my example or there maybe just 2 a day one in the morning and one late afternoon? Thats how it was I think when I looked at the buses at Burley New Forest. I think it was even worse, buses on only a few days a week - and not on the days when I was there lol

Mick F wrote:We were out at a do in Launceston yesterday evening, and we got there by bus.
(taxi home)

I have a bus pass, but Mrs Mick F doesn't yet.
Gunnislake Square to Callington New Road cost her £2.20. Going in and out of the villages and hamlets, the journey was just short of 11miles.
Callington New Road to Launceston Westgate Street cost £5.00. Again, in and out, it was a journey of just short of 13miles.
Perhaps an hour in total in travelling time, but maybe an hour and a half start to finish.

That was £7.20 total, and if I'd not had a bus pass, it would have been double = £14.40
It only cost £20 to come home by taxi, and that was a fast half hour door-to-door service.

I was shocked at the cost of bus journeys.
No wonder there are so many cars on the roads.

Busses are subsidised by central and local government at the rate of £2.2 billion per year, out of a @£5.5 billion revenue. So the real cost of that journey was more like £21.


I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my wobbly bog brush using hovercraft full of eels

PH wrote:Mrs Thatcher deregulated Public Transport. What more do you need to know?
It's now a business rather than a public service, though of course the taxpayer is till paying. Some people are obviously doing well out of it, just not the passengers. I expect in Plymouth or any other city, they're making a decent return, in a public service that surplus would go to subsidising the less popular routes rather than the shareholders.

On the contrary. The passengers are the only ones getting a good deal. They are getting a journey at about half the true economic cost. Everyone else is paying for half their journey cost without going anywhere themselves.


I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my wobbly bog brush using hovercraft full of eels

I live in a rural area. We have the same issues, although our bus service is better than some rural parts - mainly due to the impact of tourist demand.

We also have, for Wales, a relatively affluent population - most of whom drive fast expensive cars everywhere rather than take the bus. When not cycling I am guilty of driving rather than bussing it as busses don't often go where I want to when I want to! As a result, Gower is full of cars on weekends making it less pleasant to cycle around. One can't help wondering whether some kind of traffic charging on the peninsular would be a good way of subsiding public transport!?

Cheap public transport would increase the number of users and make it more viable. An increase in bus frequency and routes would make people happier to use it. As bus use would increase, car use would decrease so making cycling more pleasant.

The trouble is that I'm not sure most residents would agree with me......

Imagine the perfect bus service. Small, hybrid or electric vehicles. Journey starts at your door and ends where you want to go. Available 24/7. Personal service, especially for the elderly and disabled. The whole family travels on the same ticket. The bus pays tax instead of consuming it.

It's called Uber!


I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my wobbly bog brush using hovercraft full of eels

I too wince when I see the cost of bus journeys. In view of congestion and pollution I think taxes should be increased significantly on private motoring by taxing fuel more heavily. Do away with VED and make heavy use of cars much more expensive. Also reduce fuel tax for commercial transport by having seperate pumps like they do in France. The increased tax should subsidise bus and train travel with the aim of reducing it to continental levels. Perhaps cyclists should be paid a transport subsidy per mile

Al

tanglewood wrote:

PH wrote:Mrs Thatcher deregulated Public Transport. What more do you need to know?
It's now a business rather than a public service, though of course the taxpayer is till paying. Some people are obviously doing well out of it, just not the passengers. I expect in Plymouth or any other city, they're making a decent return, in a public service that surplus would go to subsidising the less popular routes rather than the shareholders.

On the contrary. The passengers are the only ones getting a good deal. They are getting a journey at about half the true economic cost. Everyone else is paying for half their journey cost without going anywhere themselves.

Here are some facts, it's easy to see how Government subsidies are falling and local funding is under pressure from all sides, my local council can't make up the difference, maybe yours can?. If you believe the average has ever been half the cost maybe you can back that up?
https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... er-journey

The operators profits are public record, not hard to find, Ariva £370 million, FirstGroup £120 million...

Little bit more for you

2,400 bus services being reduced, altered or withdrawn from service. 63 per cent of local authorities in England and Wales have cut funding for bus services in 2015/16 with 44 per cent reducing or withdrawing services entirely.

http://www.bettertransport.org.uk/gover ... sis-facing

al_yrpal wrote:I too wince when I see the cost of bus journeys. In view of congestion and pollution I think taxes should be increased significantly on private motoring by taxing fuel more heavily. Do away with VED and make heavy use of cars much more expensive. Also reduce fuel tax for commercial transport by having seperate pumps like they do in France. The increased tax should subsidise bus and train travel with the aim of reducing it to continental levels. Perhaps cyclists should be paid a transport subsidy per mile

Al

ah I thought there was a alterior motive to your rant

As a separate issue with travel, we can take the train Gunnislake to Plymouth and it costs £8.80 return per person full price before rail card deductions.

Gordon only knows how much it would cost by bus via Callington or Tavistock.

tanglewood wrote:

PH wrote:Mrs Thatcher deregulated Public Transport. What more do you need to know?
It's now a business rather than a public service, though of course the taxpayer is till paying. Some people are obviously doing well out of it, just not the passengers. I expect in Plymouth or any other city, they're making a decent return, in a public service that surplus would go to subsidising the less popular routes rather than the shareholders.

On the contrary. The passengers are the only ones getting a good deal. They are getting a journey at about half the true economic cost. Everyone else is paying for half their journey cost without going anywhere themselves.


It's a composting toilet -> my wobbly bog brush using hovercraft full of eels

Everyone else can use the buses if they so choose. Everyone else can get the cost of the journey you claim they're paying for and go somewhere themselves.
Of course the subsidy really does depend on teh particular route , many aren't subsidise at all. You'also quoting figures from a couple of years ago and subsidies have been reduced and even withdrawn from some routes since then.
Over half the subsidy related to OAP bus passes anyway so the overall subsidy for fare paying passengers was under 25% not the approx 50% you claim.