Reversing the decline in passenger numbers

mb134

4,162

18 Aug 2021, 10:56 pm #166

(18 Aug 2021, 4:02 pm)omnicity4659 Metro park and ride

drive to Northumberland Park | 20 minutes | £2.40 in diesel (round-trip)

park, walk and wait for the Metro | average 5-10 minutes | £1.20 parking fee

take the Metro to Haymarket | 17 minutes | £3.75 return with Pop PAYG
total journey time 42-47 minutes, total cost £7.35, two people (sharing cost of fuel and parking, add £3.75 Metro ticket) £5.55 per person

Arriva bus
walk to bus stop and wait for X21 | 5 minutes

take the X21 to Haymarket | 55 minutes | £7.50 return
total journey time 60 minutes, total cost £7.50, two people (sharing cost with duo ticket) £7.25 per person

Driving into the city centre (cheapest car park)
drive to St James' MSCP | average 30-35 minutes | £3.64 in diesel (round-trip)

find a parking space and pay for parking | 5 minutes | £0.80 per hour (£4.00 for 5 hours)

walk to Haymarket | 10 minutes
total journey time 45-50 minutes, total cost £7.64, two people (sharing cost) £3.82 per person

As a comparison for a bit further along the same route, and adjusted for my MPG:

Metro park and ride

drive to Kingston Park | 19 minutes | £3.33 in petrol (round-trip)
park, walk and wait for the Metro | average 5-10 minutes | £1.30 parking fee
take the Metro to Haymarket | 15 minutes | £4.40 Two Zone Ticket
total journey time 39-44 minutes, total cost £9.03, two people (sharing cost of fuel and parking, add £4.40 Metro ticket) £6.72 per person

Arriva bus

walk to bus stop and wait for X21 | 10 minutes
take the X21 to Haymarket | 32 minutes | £7.50 return
total journey time 42 minutes, total cost £7.50, two people (sharing cost with duo ticket) £7.25 per person

Driving into the city centre (cheapest car park)

drive to St James' MSCP | average 25-30 minutes | £4.34 in petrol (round-trip)
find a parking space and pay for parking | 5 minutes | £0.80 per hour (£4.00 for 5 hours)
walk to Haymarket | 10 minutes
total journey time 40-45 minutes, total cost £8.34, two people (sharing cost) £4.17 per person

Journey times for my usual trip when in the NE are virtually identical between those three options. Cost wise I've got bigger differences than you do, but the bus comes in cheapest with the Metro option being pretty unattractive across the board. Realistically if I'm going to town it's usually to meet people through there, and there's always the chance of us popping for a drink somewhere, which immediately cuts out the car options regardless - which I imagine is true for many folk on a weekend or evening. I don't doubt that bus companies need to do more with fares, particularly for 2+ people as we've both shown, but it surprised me that a solo trip to Newcastle would cost me nearly a quid more in the car (even excluding associated running costs).