(05 Aug 2017, 8:37 pm)Tamesider wrote Bizarre it might be, but it has been going on for a number of years. Since De-reg, Single bus fares in GM have increased at more than 3 times the increase in fuel for motorists - albeit Daily/weekly tickets had risen at a more moderate rate*. However, they too now are racing ahead of fuel costs (about the same as RPI).
I don't drive, so would have take my brother's costings as a comparison. His journey to/from work is about 55 miles a week, and during the school hols it is taking him around 25 mins, achieving 40 mpg (Diesel Focus). During school term it can take 40, or more when there are roadworks/police incidents/accidents on the M60 (which is frequent), so I'm guessing fuel consumption won't be so good. Anyway, for now with diesel at £1.12 p lt, its costing about 12p a mile. That's £6.60 a week (parking is free). A weekly MegaRider is £14.50 (which he'd need if the journey was 15.1 miles a week, never mind 55), and the bus would take 40 minutes on paper plus connection time (M'cr Picc), plus walking at both ends. During the hols, this might be slightly quicker in the morning, but if anything, slower in the evening - more scheduled roadworks, more shopping traffic etc. Other than the occasional night out boozing, and MoT time, he never uses the bus as its too expensive, slow, unpunctual and infrequent (for evening Shopping).
I've always argued that fixed costs of motoring are an ENcouragement, not a DIScouragement. Why spend a fortune on tax and insurance just to have a car sat depreciating in the garage? But for the record his Insurance is £450, which he's not happy about as its "above average", he says.
*I've had cause to investigate fares on individual routes recently, and I might be a bit generalising in this statement. There seems to be greater variations in Stagecoach fares than I at first thought. Certainly, preliminary work for the GM Mayor on franchising looks like it is going to reveal some big differences in profit margins across the numerous corridors into Manchester.
It is interesting you touch on the duration of his trips.
Without a doubt, my day would start earlier and end a lot later if I used public transport on a daily basis over the car.
Time is money as they say and with the removal of a number of direct services and consolidation of routes in Tyne & Wear, a journey can take a lot longer door to door than it did a few years ago - regardless of any additional traffic that may exist.
A trip to Newcastle on what would have been a through service is now not possible, but there is the additional waiting time, hanging around for the connection on to the 'sort of' replacement.
During the day, this hanging around may be 5/10 mins. On an evening or weekend (Sundays especially), it could be half an hour.