After finally being arsed to take my driving test last week and passing first time, I thought I would borrow one of my mother's cars yesterday and see what all the fuss is about. 

Picked the car up in the morning and drove from Bishop to Stanley, had a mull about Clearance Bargains (there was nowt decent in obviously), called in for a coffee at my grandfather's, went round to IKEA for another few coffees and get a bit of work done, popped into the Metrocentre to get my £1 Caffe Nero (white chocolate mocha), then called round to Costco for a hotdog and to plug the car in for a bit of a charge.

After that I then called round to a friend's house for a catch up, but this is where it gets interesting. They finished work at 5:30, and if I'd got the bus I would have had to leave theirs at 7:45 to get back home, which would barely give enough time to put the kettle on. Instead I stayed at theirs until 11pm having played a few board games.

Now, would it have been cheaper using the bus? Of course, £6.80 for a day ticket is a bargain for my use case. The insurance cost me £20 (not bad for a one off), and it cost me nothing in electric as I charged it back up this morning for free at work, but even if I had to pay it would have only been maybe £2 in electric for the 90 or so miles I did.

Does this mean I'm going to stop using public transport? No, in fact for most journeys I think I'll still just use the bus, especially local ones, but since I'm fortunate enough to have a mother with 3 EVs, I can just steal one of them for the day and actually spend time with friends!

Getting a driving licence makes things far easier. If I'm going to work in the city centre I prefer to use the bus (though driving currently due to Arriva issues), but going anywhere else the car is the way to go. I can be at the coast in 20 minutes instead of over an hour in the car, I was at a pub quiz yesterday which I'd have had to leave at 10pm and miss the end if I was on public transport. Good for my liver that I didn't drink too.

It really will be difficult to encourage everyone to get out of the car unless you end up with bus and metro frequency similar to London, but that's really unlikely to happen due to the cost.

(14 Jun 2024, 11:09 am)Shrek wrote Getting a driving licence makes things far easier. If I'm going to work in the city centre I prefer to use the bus (though driving currently due to Arriva issues), but going anywhere else the car is the way to go. I can be at the coast in 20 minutes instead of over an hour in the car, I was at a pub quiz yesterday which I'd have had to leave at 10pm and miss the end if I was on public transport. Good for my liver that I didn't drink too.

It really will be difficult to encourage everyone to get out of the car unless you end up with bus and metro frequency similar to London, but that's really unlikely to happen due to the cost.

For more local journeys I think I'm probably still going to use the bus. For example, if I'm going to Spoons to sit and get some work done, I'm just going to pay the £4 for the Durham Day rover as I can't be arsed with the faff of finding a parking space, especially when the bus stop is a 30 second walk from my front door.


Funnily enough, pub quiz is one of the things I've really missed doing, I used to stay up at my grandfathers and get a lift, but it was a right faff sorting all the logistics out so I just gave up on trying.

(14 Jun 2024, 10:49 am)streetdeckfan wrote After finally being arsed to take my driving test last week and passing first time, I thought I would borrow one of my mother's cars yesterday and see what all the fuss is about. 

Picked the car up in the morning and drove from Bishop to Stanley, had a mull about Clearance Bargains (there was nowt decent in obviously), called in for a coffee at my grandfather's, went round to IKEA for another few coffees and get a bit of work done, popped into the Metrocentre to get my £1 Caffe Nero (white chocolate mocha), then called round to Costco for a hotdog and to plug the car in for a bit of a charge.

After that I then called round to a friend's house for a catch up, but this is where it gets interesting. They finished work at 5:30, and if I'd got the bus I would have had to leave theirs at 7:45 to get back home, which would barely give enough time to put the kettle on. Instead I stayed at theirs until 11pm having played a few board games. 

Now, would it have been cheaper using the bus? Of course, £6.80 for a day ticket is a bargain for my use case. The insurance cost me £20 (not bad for a one off), and it cost me nothing in electric as I charged it back up this morning for free at work, but even if I had to pay it would have only been maybe £2 in electric for the 90 or so miles I did.

Does this mean I'm going to stop using public transport? No, in fact for most journeys I think I'll still just use the bus, especially local ones, but since I'm fortunate enough to have a mother with 3 EVs, I can just steal one of them for the day and actually spend time with friends!

I think we need to get your friends thoughts on this. 
Were they pleased to get the extra time to spend with you or do they prefer you getting the bus?

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(14 Jun 2024, 11:35 am)streetdeckfan wrote For more local journeys I think I'm probably still going to use the bus. For example, if I'm going to Spoons to sit and get some work done, I'm just going to pay the £4 for the Durham Day rover as I can't be arsed with the faff of finding a parking space, especially when the bus stop is a 30 second walk from my front door. 


Funnily enough, pub quiz is one of the things I've really missed doing, I used to stay up at my grandfathers and get a lift, but it was a right faff sorting all the logistics out so I just gave up on trying.

Generally the only time I get the bus these days, is when I'm off out for a drink somewhere. 
Very rarely bother using them these days, regardless of how easy or difficult it may be to get parked in a city centre and the main reason is the length of the journey.
Even if I spend a good period of time looking for a spot, it's still quicker than using the bus.
More often than not, the parking is more accessible than hiking from a bus station or stop too.

Prior to Covid, I sold the part of my business that required a van. This included the van. At first I either cycled or got the bus. This worked, although I drank more ha.

Then GNE drivers lost a customer due to the strikes and had to buy a car as I couldn't get round on just Stagecoach (live in Sunderland). Spent £7000 on a Nissan Note - which is a great little runner. I usually only use it on the evenings to - so use to have to spend a bit time walking or waiting for a bus to.

Could a car or at least access to a car match the convenience of a bus/public transport?

I passed my driving test when I started uni (2011) but didn't get a car until I graduated (2014) and that was to allow me to travel to my PGCE placements (Tyne Met College & East Durham College). I did bus it a couple from times but it took an age and when i finished late on a night it was awful.

Fast forward 10 year or so after my teaching and bus driving careers I'm now a driving instructor. The main reason I'm getting from my students is that they can't get to/from work using public transport or it limits what hours they can work. My first student this morning for example lives in Cleadon, has one job on Sea Road in Fulwell, a second job in the bridges and university in Sunderland. She also cares for her elderly relatives in Grangetown but nowhere near a bus stop.

Me personally, if I travel to Sunderland (alone) I get bus but if we go as a family, the car is cheaper. To Newcastle, we park at the Metrocentre (free) and bus it.

(14 Jun 2024, 12:43 pm)Andreos1 wrote I think we need to get your friends thoughts on this. 
Were they pleased to get the extra time to spend with you or do they prefer you getting the bus?

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Generally the only time I get the bus these days, is when I'm off out for a drink somewhere. 
Very rarely bother using them these days, regardless of how easy or difficult it may be to get parked in a city centre and the main reason is the length of the journey.
Even if I spend a good period of time looking for a spot, it's still quicker than using the bus.
More often than not, the parking is more accessible than hiking from a bus station or stop too.

Unfortunately they were, I literally had to beg to leave at 11pm, I tried to leave at 10!

As for the time difference, if I'm only going into Bishop or Spennymoor then there isn't really a lot in it, so I'll just take the bus.

But this morning I met my mother at the Arnison Centre and it took me exactly 25 minutes to get there, by bus that would have taken an extra hour.

(14 Jun 2024, 4:24 pm)morritt89 wrote Could a car or at least access to a car match the convenience of a bus/public transport?

I passed my driving test when I started uni (2011) but didn't get a car until I graduated (2014) and that was to allow me to travel to my PGCE placements (Tyne Met College & East Durham College). I did bus it a couple from times but it took an age and when i finished late on a night it was awful.

Fast forward 10 year or so after my teaching and bus driving careers I'm now a driving instructor. The main reason I'm getting from my students is that they can't get to/from work using public transport or it limits what hours they can work. My first student this morning for example lives in Cleadon, has one job on Sea Road in Fulwell, a second job in the bridges and university in Sunderland. She also cares for her elderly relatives in Grangetown but nowhere near a bus stop.

Me personally,  if I travel to Sunderland (alone) I get bus but if we go as a family, the car is cheaper. To Newcastle, we park at the Metrocentre (free) and bus it.

I have pretty good access to public transport from my house, it's the reason I chose it. I live on the route of the X21, and the Arriva 1 and 6, with the 5 just a few minutes walk down the road. So I can get to Newcastle, Gateshead, Durham, Darlington etc. without a change.

I still have no intention of buying a car for myself anytime soon when I can just continue to sponge off family, especially when she has a Nissan Leaf just sitting there after moving onto something a bit more spicy.

I've been in a similar situation, i've just got a car about 6 weeks ago, and I haven't been on a bus since, I've realised how awful it is, idk if it is because of the reliability, and just lack of links where to get to Metrocentre or Newcastle I would have to get 3 buses (over 2 hours) without any charges or anything, I recently took road trip from Consett to Alston to Stanhope then at 430 at night decided to drive to Kendal, i would have never been able to do that on the bus.

It has given me a new sense of freedom, and dont get me wrong i quite like getting the bus, but what i still hate is the other passengers that either stink of alcohol or drugs or the disruptiveness of them.

(15 Jun 2024, 12:35 am)Unber43 wrote I've been in a similar situation, i've just got a car about 6 weeks ago, and I haven't been on a bus since, I've realised how awful it is, idk if it is because of the reliability, and just lack of links where to get to Metrocentre or Newcastle I would have to get 3 buses (over 2 hours) without any charges or anything, I recently took road trip from Consett to Alston to Stanhope then at 430 at night decided to drive to Kendal, i would have never been able to do that on the bus.

It has given me a new sense of freedom, and dont get me wrong i quite like getting the bus, but what i still hate is the other passengers that either stink of alcohol or drugs or the disruptiveness of them.

I've been planning a bit of a road trip, I'm wanting to do it so the return journey is within the range of the car as it would then essentially be free (other than insurance costs). Realistically, I could get as far north as Seahouses or as far south as Leeds and still make it back without charging. If I borrowed the Audi I could probably do Manchester or Berwick