What's public transport like for you?

[Geoff]

I don't use it personally, but I would love to do my bit. However I have to get from Stratford UPon Avon to Reddich at 6:30pm most days, and I'm not aware of any public transport that can take me there. Thr trains can take me near there but a) I don't know if they run at that time. b) They are hidiously expencive.

I'd still like to know what people think, maybe I can start a campaign to increase services. :)

[Leofric]

I don't use it personally, but I would love to do my bit. However I have to get from Stratford UPon Avon to Reddich at 6:30pm most days, and I'm not aware of any public transport that can take me there. Thr trains can take me near there but a) I don't know if they run at that time. b) They are hidiously expencive.

I'd still like to know what people think, maybe I can start a campaign to increase services. :)

I commute across Coventry - about 6 miles, and it's a horrible drive - too many traffic lights, bad road systems & traffic. However, public transport would require two buses and almost 1 and 1/4 hours. It takes 15-30 minutes to drive.

I personally would love to be able to get across the city without having to endure driving. However, I don't think it's going to happen. The only plans I've seen are for a "Coventry Rapid Transit" system that involves a botched half bus/half tram thing that will go from Kenilworth->Warwick Uni->Earlsdon->City Centre->Arena->Bedworth->Nuneaton.

[Simon]

This is what gets me, the Government claim to want us to use public transport, yet is unbelieveably inadiquate! Any city or town could learn a lot from Sydney in Australia, you can get anywhere in the city on one ticket quickly and efficiently, it's brilliant!

I can't help feeling the Government is relying too heavily on fuel tax, to really take public transport seriously. :(

[Leofric]

This is what gets me, the Government claim to want us to use public transport, yet is unbelieveably inadiquate! Any city or town could learn a lot from Sydney in Australia, you can get anywhere in the city on one ticket quickly and efficiently, it's brilliant!

I can't help feeling the Government is relying too heavily on fuel tax, to really take public transport seriously. :(

Even worse, they put restrictions in place with regard to parking, spend a fortune on bus lanes and we still see empty buses and parking chaos.

[Shizara]

I commute by train and I work on them. So I see things from both sides. I note Simon's comment re Sydey Australia. Though I am a Kiwi I lived in Australia for a short time too and marvelled at all night trains and a very efficient service.

The government makes a small fortune from fuel tax and cigarette tax so I doubt they would give those up too readily unless they can sneak in another taxt to replace them.

[asci]

Check out the local transport and what happens around Warwick - click on this link to see full story
Stagecoach Bus (http://stagecoach-bus.co.uk)

Has anyone else had any problems of hit and run incidents?

No one admitted liability!!!

[Gladys]

Hi, I promised a friend I'd ask about this tonight. She travels from Havant in Hampshire every day to Waterloo through the working week. Her train from Waterloo at 5 something pm stopped at Giuldford with a technical fault. They all waited and eventually set off again. Except as they passed Farncombe-a short plat formed old Victorian station they began to smell smoke. Further along they saw smoke and were becoming very bothered by smoke. Eventually one passenger got up and pulled the 'thingmy' to speak to the driver and said 'I think you should stopthe train, there's smoke' the driver replied'smoke' - a few stations on the train stopped at Godalming. It was billowing smoke. All passengers were evacuated. My friend said she and 3 others who do this run every working day recognised eachother and then grabbed a Taxi at the rank. It cost them £97 for the run. What they all ask is why when the train was known to have had a problem at Giuldford, didn't the staff make an execuative decision to leave it there?:confused:

[Shizara]

It's a difficult one sometimes as some technical problems can be fixed or managed without taking the train out of service and this instance they may have felt that they had the problem fixed or managed and the train could continue its journey.

Because passengers don't always know the finer details of a problem then it is difficult for them to understand why staff have made a certain decision, or after consultation with the powers that be, taken a particular plan of action.

Looking in from the outside it is easy to speculate and question the way something is handled, but at the end of the day the staff are trained to deal with emergency situations and dealing with them in a manner that puts a high priority on your safety. Sometimes it isn't as simple as it seems.

[Josie]

This reminds me of a few years back when my sister and I were getting the train from London to Birmingham!

It broke down somewhere rreally remote (too many years back for me to remember) but everyone had to get off and the people at the station put us into groups of who was going where and got us all cabs! We didnt have to pay a thing???!!!

[Emily-O]

I love the train service we have and will choose it over driving when it comes to long distances. It may be expensive but the petrol prices keep rising and soon it will be cheaper for me!

Buses though... The buses in my area disappear after 6pm. I can look at the timetable but really there is no point. I just sit and wait until one comes. But to pay £3 for a 5 minute journey is insane! No wonder people don't opt for it, you may as well get a taxi!!

[Josie]

I love the train service we have and will choose it over driving when it comes to long distances. It may be expensive but the petrol prices keep rising and soon it will be cheaper for me!

Buses though... The buses in my area disappear after 6pm. I can look at the timetable but really there is no point. I just sit and wait until one comes. But to pay £3 for a 5 minute journey is insane! No wonder people don't opt for it, you may as well get a taxi!!

I agree dude public transport prices needs to be knocked on the head! I mean no wonder people often opt to drive!

I remember once a few years back a few friends and I were heading into london and the price of petrol between all of us compared to the train tickets per head was far cheaper so we drove there! And why not?

[cypres hill]

ive used public transport for years ive lost 3 job,s and numerous oppertuneatys purely to the let down that is public transport i now use my own transport which i didnt want to do but its 100% more reliable my advice is anyone considering public transport is going to be disapointed