I feel vindicated. Again.

[Crispin]

Even with spiralling fuel costs, the train companies have ensured that I still pay less for my 3.0L, 4x4, polar bear killing, tree killing machine than it is to catch a train to work for a month. Tickets would cost me a shade over £400 a month from Jan. Fuel? @ £105 a tank and 3 tanks a month...

I never have signalling failures.
Snow on the road is always the right kind.
Localised flooding is welcomed.
Delays can be detoured.
All smells in my immediate vacinity emminate from my orrafices.
My aircon works.

Best of all, if I don't like the music, I can change the station and not have to put up with "apparent" music.

 

[TonyP]

And on average it prob quicker to drive to work........

Really crazy situation when you think about it. One of the main reasons I started commuting by motorbike into London years ago!

 

[Crispin]

And on average it prob quicker to drive to work........

Not even average. Door to door by car is average an hour. With screw-ups, I have many route options. Worst case was 2 hours.
A good day on the trains: 1H45. Average was 2. Worst, left work at 5pm, got home at 10:15 after walking the last few miles.

 

[goodoldboy]

Remember years ago when what was B.R. was privatised to "save money for the taxpayer" ? maybe i`m suffering from false memory syndrome but I seem to recall a fairly cheap&reliable service - ok the food was rubbish & some of the staff tended to be surly - but generally it did what it was supposed tn the rail vs car front as regards to cost benefit don't forget to add a % of your fixed costs to each mile.Sill I suppose not having to suffer people braying into mobiles , the white noise of others headphones ect is priceless.....

 

[Crispin]

On the rail vs car front as regards to cost benefit don't forget to add a % of your fixed costs to each mile

At the current rate, a saving of approx £100 a month, I could almost afford to keep a LR running so costs of keeping the 120 running are negligible.

Were I a clever man, I would use a Micra to work. That would be a large, unquestionable saving. But what if it snowed

 

[fridayman]

Were I a clever man, I would use a Micra to work. That would be a large, unquestionable saving. But what if it snowed

More importantly, what if someone saw you?

 

[whereisgibson]

Were I a clever man, I would use a Micra to work. That would be a large, unquestionable saving. But what if it snowed

More importantly, what if someone saw you?

 

[Graham]

Tickets would cost me a shade over £400 a month from Jan.

Hi Crispin,being an avid train traveler myself, I have a few Q's
Are you traveling by train 22 days a month?
What is your train journe length in miles? perhaps 50 ?

So perhaps you travel about 2000 miles a month.

For me,,,,,
Weifang to Nanning, is 1500 miles.
Get on at 19:30 Monday, get off 16:30 Wednesday
Luxury overnight sleeper cars.
1500 smooth, comforting miles, with a 8 inch mattress.

£74.50

I shouldn't go on about how cheap it is here in China, but really, the price of fuel here etc, is almost the same as UK.
So why the big difference?
I just ramble on, on some days, and probably today is one of them.


Graham

 

[chriscolleman]

Thats why I've got my small BMW commuter.
As I work flexible hours there isn't a public transport system that's as economical and flexible.

During our short winters I take the cruiser when the weather turns for the worse.

On the other hand our roads are getting battered by these last few winters and city driving is becoming an offroad expedition with all those bumps and potholes.

Might even have a look at an urban cruiser?? What will they think of next

 

[Paul]

Or you could try this